sonic boom
noun
: a sound resembling an explosion produced when a shock wave formed at the nose of an aircraft traveling at supersonic speed reaches the ground
called also sonic bang
Examples of sonic boom in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
After reported technical glitches on the tour’s opening nights, Saturday’s mix was crisp and full, and the star’s mouth-twisting vowels and spicy wordplay were only occasionally lost in the sonic boom.
—
Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 19 May 2024
The decision by the commission, which is tasked with protecting the state’s coastal resources, will directly affect residents and marine life near the military base that hear and feel the rockets’ sonic booms.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
But by the end of the decade, most people viewed sonic booms as a public nuisance.
—J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
The first stage of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket caused a sonic boom — which has been known to startle people — after the booster broke the speed of sound on the way down.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The sonic boom garnered global criticism, with Congress and many other governments banning overland supersonic travel.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 27 Nov. 2023
Pilot in sonic boom crash had 25,000 hours’ experience with Southwest Hefner was a retired Southwest Airlines captain who continued to hold an airline pilot rating and qualified for a top-level medical certificate in October.
—Ian Duncan, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
Not only could the sonic booms be quieter (thus reducing the negative effects aircraft noise can have on wildlife), but the plane’s carbon footprints could also be drastically reduced.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2024
The first-stage booster is flying for the 10th time and will attempt a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1, meaning a double sonic boom is in store for the Space Coast.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024
Brian McCollum, Detroit Free Press, 19 May 2024
The decision by the commission, which is tasked with protecting the state’s coastal resources, will directly affect residents and marine life near the military base that hear and feel the rockets’ sonic booms.
—Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2024
But by the end of the decade, most people viewed sonic booms as a public nuisance.
—J. George Gorant, Robb Report, 8 May 2024
The first stage of the company’s Falcon 9 rocket caused a sonic boom — which has been known to startle people — after the booster broke the speed of sound on the way down.
—Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
The sonic boom garnered global criticism, with Congress and many other governments banning overland supersonic travel.
—Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 27 Nov. 2023
Pilot in sonic boom crash had 25,000 hours’ experience with Southwest Hefner was a retired Southwest Airlines captain who continued to hold an airline pilot rating and qualified for a top-level medical certificate in October.
—Ian Duncan, Washington Post, 21 June 2023
Not only could the sonic booms be quieter (thus reducing the negative effects aircraft noise can have on wildlife), but the plane’s carbon footprints could also be drastically reduced.
—Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Jan. 2024
The first-stage booster is flying for the 10th time and will attempt a recovery landing at Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1, meaning a double sonic boom is in store for the Space Coast.
—Richard Tribou, Orlando Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sonic boom.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Sonic boom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonic%20boom. Accessed 23 May. 2024.
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