side-scan sonar

noun

: a sonar that scans the ocean floor to the side of a ship's track and is used especially for mapping the ocean bottom

Examples of side-scan sonar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On Thursday morning, deputies utilized a side-scan sonar, which is used to detect & image objects on the lake floor, and his body was announced to have been found hours later. Kimberlee Speakman, Peoplemag, 25 Aug. 2023 Dive searches were conducted in areas identified by side-scan sonar, both in the morning and afternoon, yet no new information has surfaced after the CV-22 Osprey aircraft crashed on Wednesday, the 10th Regional Coast Guard told ABC News. Anthony Trotter, ABC News, 2 Dec. 2023 In the morning, side-scan sonar was used to narrow the search area. John Hilliard, BostonGlobe.com, 22 Aug. 2023 There were no obvious signs of tusks on the side-scan sonar. Curbed, 18 Jan. 2023 Divers were investigating any anomalies detected by the side-scan sonar, state police said. Antonio Planas, NBC News, 15 May 2023 After a search that involved side-scan sonar, police found Campbell’s body on July 24. Gabrielle Settles, USA TODAY, 2 Aug. 2023 The search used divers and boat crews using side-scan sonar, with aerial support from state police and Coast Guard helicopter crews. Irene Rotondo, Anchorage Daily News, 25 July 2023 Police used a side-scan sonar from a boat to locate him and divers from the department’s underwater recovery unit recovered his body, which was about 100 feet from the shore at a depth of about 8 feet. Celina Tebor, CNN, 25 July 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'side-scan sonar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of side-scan sonar was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near side-scan sonar

Cite this Entry

“Side-scan sonar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/side-scan%20sonar. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

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