the sound barrier

noun

: the large increase in air resistance that occurs as an aircraft nears the speed of sound and that was once an obstacle to traveling faster than the speed of sound
a plane that is able to break the sound barrier

Examples of the sound barrier in a Sentence

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After breaking the sound barrier, all that's left is to research Rocketry and build a Launch Pad in a City with good Production. Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 6 Feb. 2025 Boom Supersonic has gone, well, supersonic, its XB-1 prototype breaking the sound barrier today in the skies over the Mojave Air & Space Port in California. David Szondy, New Atlas, 28 Jan. 2025 The event took place over the Mohave Desert, the same location where Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier for the first time in 1947. Michael Verdon, Robb Report, 29 Jan. 2025 Boom Supersonic made history today (Jan. 28) when its XB-1 jet broke the sound barrier for the first time. Brett Tingley, Space.com, 28 Jan. 2025 Boom Supersonic, the American company building what promises to be the world’s fastest airliner, broke the sound barrier for its first time with a test flight in Mojave, California. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 28 Jan. 2025 America’s answer to the Concorde broke the sound barrier for the first time during a test flight in California. Daniel Wine, CNN, 28 Jan. 2025 This flight took place in what might be considered hallowed airspace, as the Mojave Air & Space Port in Mojave, California is also the location where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947. New Atlas, 10 Oct. 2024 Local media are reporting that the sound may have been jets breaking the sound barrier. NBC News, 5 Oct. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“The sound barrier.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20sound%20barrier. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025.

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