hydrophone

[ hahy-druh-fohn ]

/ ˈhaɪ drəˌfoʊn /

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noun

a device for locating sources of sound under water, as for detecting submarines by the noise of their engines.

an instrument employing the principles of the microphone, used to detect the flow of water through a pipe.

Medicine/Medical. an instrument used in auscultation, whereby sounds are intensified through a column of water.

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Origin of hydrophone

First recorded in 1855–60; hydro-¹ + -phone

Words nearby hydrophone

hydrophilic, hydrophilous, hydrophobe, hydrophobia, hydrophobic, hydrophone, hydrophyllaceous, hydrophyte, hydropic, hydroplane, hydroplaner

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hydrophone in a sentence

About a decade ago, hydrophones ran on tape reels and had to be attached to a cable that hung off the side of a boat, where a non-waterproof recording station was housed.
Fish sounds tell us about underwater reefs—but we need better tech to really listen|Charlotte Hu|December 9, 2021|Popular-Science
That’s because hydrophones can distinguish two or three unique songs, but anything more starts to become indiscernible.
How bomb detectors discovered a hidden pod of singing blue whales|Sara Kiley Watson|June 15, 2021|Popular-Science
During the summer, the songs picked up by the hydrophone took place mostly at night.
We can protect whales from ship strikes by translating their songs|Kate Baggaley|October 2, 2020|Popular-Science
The exasperated "C 6" pursued by hydrophone for another quarter of an hour, but the sound of the enemy's motors was then lost.
The Story of Our Submarines|John Graham Bower

The Adriatic Sea was an ideal place for the use of the hydrophone.
Inventions of the Great War|A. Russell (Alexander Russell) Bond
The development of the hydrophone for anti-submarine work, both from ships and from shore stations.
The Crisis of the Naval War|John Rushworth Jellicoe
This station produced the Mark II directional hydrophone of which large numbers were ordered in 1917 for use in patrol craft.
The Crisis of the Naval War|John Rushworth Jellicoe
The alliance between the hydrophone and the depth charge is a natural one.
Submarine Warfare of To-day|Charles W. Domville-Fife

British Dictionary definitions for hydrophone

hydrophone

/ (ˈhaɪdrəˌfəʊn) /

noun

an electroacoustic transducer that converts sound or ultrasonic waves travelling through water into electrical oscillations

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 hydrophone

hydrophone

[ hī′drə-fōn′ ]

A device used to detect or monitor sound under water. Hydrophones are often installed or towed in arrays that can be used to pinpoint a sound source or provide sea-floor imaging as part of a sonar system.