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compression wave

or compressional wave

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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compression wave ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a shock wave that compresses the medium through which it is transmitted.

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Compare expansion wave.

Origin of compression wave

First recorded in 1885–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for compression wave

Historical Examples of compression wave

Indeed a compression-wave of this kind passes through the gas-mixture, heated by the combustion to a very high temperature.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 1
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