supersonic

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adjective

su·per·son·ic ˌsü-pər-ˈsä-nik

Synonyms of supersonic next

: ultrasonic

: of, being, or relating to speeds from one to five times the speed of sound in air compare sonic

: moving, capable of moving, or utilizing air currents moving at supersonic speed

: relating to supersonic airplanes or missiles

the supersonic age

supersonically

ˌsü-pər-ˈsä-ni-k(ə-)lē

adverb

supersonic

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noun

: a supersonic wave or frequency

: a supersonic airplane

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Because of issues with the jet's tail section, the Pentagon has limited how long the aircraft can fly at supersonic speeds — only short bursts of power are allowed. —

Joel Mathis, The Week, 13 Feb. 2023 The reason is that a pivoting wing was just too mechanically complicated compared to simply shaping the wings for supersonic speeds and accepting the compromise of lower efficiency when flying subsonic. —

Jacopo Prisco, CNN, 27 Jan. 2023 After crossing this lensing air, the intense, short laser pulses can rapidly ionize and heat air molecules, expelling them from the path of the beam at supersonic speeds. —

IEEE Spectrum, 31 Dec. 2022 Under current rules, planes must stay below the speed of sound while traveling over land but can use supersonic speeds over oceans. —

Dallas News, 16 Aug. 2022 Cox recalls that the supersonic Concorde flew at 60,000 feet. —

Rob Verger, Popular Science, 13 Feb. 2023 To say her rise through the ranks at the storied studio was supersonic would be an understatement. —

Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2023 This design differs from a traditional chemical rocket engine by generating thrust using a supersonic combustion phenomenon known as a detonation. —

Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 27 Jan. 2023 There, Hermeus demonstrated the Chimera’s ability to transition between engines by guiding supersonic air around the turbojet and into the ramjet. —

Darren Orf, Popular Mechanics, 25 Jan. 2023

Noun

The Low Boom Flight Demonstrator Project hopes to revive commercial supersonic by reducing a jet’s sonic boom. —

Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 16 Mar. 2020 There’s no amount of computing power that can make the Wright Flyer supersonic. —

Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian, 11 Dec. 2019 Virgin Galactic, on its fifth supersonic, rocket- powered test flight, successfully sent passenger Beth Moses, the company's Chief Astronaut Instructor, to the edge of space, the first non-pilot to ever fly on a commercial aircraft. —

David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, 22 Feb. 2019 But this is the year the FAA will once again open the door to supersonics. —

Joe Pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, 7 Jan. 2019 The Devils landed winger Patrick Maroon, no stranger to riding shotgun beside former superstar teammates like Connor McDavid and Ryan Getzlaf, as well as the supersonic Michael Grabner last Thursday. —

Alex Prewitt, SI.com, 27 Feb. 2018 Simply put, not enough passengers could afford to fly supersonic. —

Jeff Wise, Popular Mechanics, 28 Feb. 2017 The SuperSonics had back-to-back picks, Nos. 6 and 7, after their championship and took Rutgers’ James Bailey ahead of Johnson. —

cleveland.com, 20 June 2017 To this day, basketball fans in Seattle are upset that their beloved SuperSonics left in 2008 for Oklahoma City. —

Kevin Spain, USA TODAY, 16 June 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'supersonic.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.