subsonic
adjective
sub·son·ic
ˌsəb-ˈsä-nik 
1
: of, relating to, or being a speed less than that of sound in air
2
: moving, capable of moving, or utilizing air currents moving at a subsonic speed
Examples of subsonic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Tomahawk is a subsonic cruise missile with a range up to around 1,500 miles.
—
Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Ukraine’s use of Tomahawks — subsonic cruise missiles that can strike targets from 1,000 miles away —would give the country the ability to ramp up its counterattacks on Russia.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
Both missile versions are all-weather-capable, fire-and-forget solutions that travel just above the surface of the water at high-subsonic speed.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
The resultant supersonic ban, which slowed the Concorde to subsonic speeds, negated its edge over conventional jets.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subsonic
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Shane Croucher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Oct. 2025
Ukraine’s use of Tomahawks — subsonic cruise missiles that can strike targets from 1,000 miles away —would give the country the ability to ramp up its counterattacks on Russia.
—Lillian Rizzo, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2025
Both missile versions are all-weather-capable, fire-and-forget solutions that travel just above the surface of the water at high-subsonic speed.
—Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 11 Oct. 2025
The resultant supersonic ban, which slowed the Concorde to subsonic speeds, negated its edge over conventional jets.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 18 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for subsonic
Cite this Entry
“Subsonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subsonic. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
subsonic
adjective
sub·son·ic
ˌsəb-ˈsän-ik
ˈsəb-
1
: of, relating to, or being a speed less than that of sound in air
2
: moving, capable of moving, or using air currents moving at a subsonic speed
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