transonic
adjective
tran·son·ic
tran(t)s-ˈsä-nik 
tran-ˈsä-
variants
or less commonly transsonic
1
: being or relating to speeds near that of sound in air or about 741 miles (1185 kilometers) per hour at sea level and especially to speeds slightly below the speed of sound at which the speed of airflow varies from subsonic to supersonic at different points along the surface of a body in motion relative to the surrounding air
2
: moving, capable of moving, or utilizing air currents moving at a transonic speed
Examples of transonic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Instead, there's a smooth, polished hull that the company says is close to the optimum shape for transonic laminar flow.
—
David Szondy
may 16, New Atlas, 16 May 2025
The team said its sixth-generation transonic wing modeling capabilities and new aircraft control architecture have made significant contributions to the design.
—Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 19 Feb. 2025
Commercial supersonic flight sped closer to returning as the Boom Supersonic XB-1 prototype reached a transonic speed of Mach 0.95 during Test Flight 11 on January 10, 2025, in the skies over the Mojave Desert in California.
—New Atlas, 14 Jan. 2025
This requires fast decision-making, especially when the aircraft in question is a jet flying at near transonic speed.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 25 Nov. 2024
The latest test flight reached transonic speeds of Mach 0.92 and an altitude of 50,000 ft (15,000 m), or 3 times and 5 times, respectively, better than before.
—New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2024
Further down on the spectrum are subsonic and transonic, which are used to describe scenarios where objects are traveling either much slower than, or near, the speed of sound.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 June 2023
With the help of a control system based on NI’s user-programmable FPGA instruments, the team developed a prototype of an air-bearing levitation system that allows a pod to achieve transonic speeds.
—David Wilson, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2019
Following modifications, however, integration tests are apparently proceeding well, with a series of seven F-35B jump jet test-drops concluded in September of 2022—with two high-speed releases at transonic Mach .9 speeds.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 9 Apr. 2023
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David Szondy
may 16, New Atlas, 16 May 2025
The team said its sixth-generation transonic wing modeling capabilities and new aircraft control architecture have made significant contributions to the design.
—Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 19 Feb. 2025
Commercial supersonic flight sped closer to returning as the Boom Supersonic XB-1 prototype reached a transonic speed of Mach 0.95 during Test Flight 11 on January 10, 2025, in the skies over the Mojave Desert in California.
—New Atlas, 14 Jan. 2025
This requires fast decision-making, especially when the aircraft in question is a jet flying at near transonic speed.
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 25 Nov. 2024
The latest test flight reached transonic speeds of Mach 0.92 and an altitude of 50,000 ft (15,000 m), or 3 times and 5 times, respectively, better than before.
—New Atlas, 11 Aug. 2024
Further down on the spectrum are subsonic and transonic, which are used to describe scenarios where objects are traveling either much slower than, or near, the speed of sound.
—Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 5 June 2023
With the help of a control system based on NI’s user-programmable FPGA instruments, the team developed a prototype of an air-bearing levitation system that allows a pod to achieve transonic speeds.
—David Wilson, IEEE Spectrum, 23 Jan. 2019
Following modifications, however, integration tests are apparently proceeding well, with a series of seven F-35B jump jet test-drops concluded in September of 2022—with two high-speed releases at transonic Mach .9 speeds.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 9 Apr. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Transonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transonic. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
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