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
As early as the 1930s, aerodynamicists like Theodore von Kármán were already modeling theoretical shockwave propagation and how atmospheric conditions would affect sonic booms.
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New Atlas, 11 Feb. 2025
Quiet Spike In 2006, Gulfstream partnered with NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in a testing program called Quiet Spike to reduce the sonic boom resulting from supersonic flight.
—Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2025
But Loses an Upper Stage on Starship's Seventh Flight
Overture's overland flying, however, will top out near Mach .94—about 20% faster than today’s airliners—to comply with a federal ban on civil supersonic flight meant to limit sonic booms.
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 28 Jan. 2025
The spike created weak shock waves that transformed the sharp crack of the sonic boom into a whisper.
—Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2025
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New Atlas, 11 Feb. 2025
Quiet Spike In 2006, Gulfstream partnered with NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center in a testing program called Quiet Spike to reduce the sonic boom resulting from supersonic flight.
—Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2025
But Loses an Upper Stage on Starship's Seventh Flight
Overture's overland flying, however, will top out near Mach .94—about 20% faster than today’s airliners—to comply with a federal ban on civil supersonic flight meant to limit sonic booms.
—Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 28 Jan. 2025
The spike created weak shock waves that transformed the sharp crack of the sonic boom into a whisper.
—Daniel Cote, Robb Report, 27 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sonic boom
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Cite this Entry
“Sonic boom.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonic%20boom. Accessed 13 Mar. 2025.
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