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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Darryl Ertel and his brother Dan Ertel spent more than two years searching for the Western Reserve and first spotted the potential remains in 2024 using side-scan sonar, their team said. Lauren Liebhaber, Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2025 The natural resources department said multiple other emergency agencies assisted them by deploying boats equipped with side-scan sonar and helicopters for search and rescue missions. Dalia Faheid, CNN, 20 Oct. 2024 In 2022 and 2023, the team began using side-scan sonar to study the seafloor. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Sep. 2024 The Port Police deployed a vessel equipped with side-scan sonar for further underwater searching. Nathaniel Percy, Orange County Register, 1 Aug. 2024 See All Example Sentences for side-scan sonar

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“Side-scan sonar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/side-scan%20sonar. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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