subsonic

[ suhb-son-ik ]

adjective
  1. noting or pertaining to a speed less than that of sound in air at the same height above sea level.

Compare Meanings

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

Origin of subsonic

1
1940–45; sub- + sonic

Other words from subsonic

  • sub·son·i·cal·ly, adverb

Words Nearby subsonic

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use subsonic in a sentence

  • And its booming notes descended to subsonic throbbings that gripped and wrung the nerves to anguish.

    The Record of Currupira | Robert Abernathy

British Dictionary definitions for subsonic

subsonic

/ (sʌbˈsɒnɪk) /


adjective
  1. being, having, or travelling at a velocity below that of sound: a subsonic aircraft

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for subsonic

subsonic

[ sŭb-sŏnĭk ]


  1. Having a speed less than that of sound in a designated medium, usually air; having a velocity less than Mach 1. Compare hypersonic supersonic transonic.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.