sonic barrier
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of sonic barrier
First recorded in 1945–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Sound was initially dismissed as a possible deterrent when research revealed fishes become acclimated to constant tones and would eventually move through a sonic barrier.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 20, 2017
But when jets pushed aircraft up to the sonic barrier, it turned out to be nothing worse than a bump in the road.
From Time Magazine Archive
When the plane reaches about 80% of the speed of sound, however, the velocity of the air flowing over the upper side of the wing reaches the sonic barrier.
From Time Magazine Archive
Well below these speeds, the "sonic barrier" makes itself felt, jamming an airplane's controls, destroying the lift of its wings.
From Time Magazine Archive
An accelerating, effortless flight, a faint tremor as they passed the sonic barrier, then no sensory impressions at all.
From The Mighty Dead by Gault, William Campbell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
