sound pressure

American  

noun

Physics.

1. Also called instantaneous sound pressure.  Also called excess sound pressure,.  the difference between the pressure at a point in a medium through which a sound wave is passing and the static pressure of the medium at that point.

2. effective sound pressure.

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Etymology

Origin of sound pressure

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Commander Fox explains that mines generally fall into two categories: contact mines, which detonate when struck, and influence mines, which explode when sensors detect changes in sound, pressure or magnetism.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

Volume is measured in decibels, or units of sound pressure.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2024

Unlike human eardrums and conventional microphones that detect sound pressure waves, spider silk responds to changes in the velocities of air particles as they are thrust about by a sound field.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2024

As an aircraft approaches the speed of sound, pressure builds up on surfaces like the nose and tail, creating waves of high pressure in front and low pressure behind.

From New York Times • Nov. 1, 2021

It should be noted at this point that there is another decibel scale in use, called the sound pressure level, based on the ratio of the pressure amplitude to a reference pressure.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015