sonic
Americanadjective
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of or relating to sound.
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noting or pertaining to a speed equal to that of sound in air at the same height above sea level.
adjective
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of, involving, or producing sound
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having a speed about equal to that of sound in air: 331 metres per second (741 miles per hour) at 0°C
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of sonic
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Explanation
The adjective sonic means related to audible sound or to the speed of sound waves. If something goes faster than the speed of sound, it creates a sonic boom, a shock wave that sounds like an explosion. The adjective sonic was coined in the 1920s, from the Latin sonus, or "sound." Ever since, it's been used not only to describe things relating to sound, but also things that travel as fast as sound. The Sonic fast food chain originally advertised "Service With the Speed of Sound." A super-fast Japanese express train is called Sonic. And the Sonic the Hedgehog video games feature a speedy main character.
Vocabulary lists containing sonic
Common Senses: Son ("Sound")
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Lend Me Your Ears: Sound Words
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My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich
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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.
It remains one of R.E.M.’s strongest compositions, an entire sonic landscape that morphs instantly into a whole other world.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026
Whatever Annabel Lee may have thought, this was the period just before the Beatles got truly weird; the fantastic sonic explorations of “Revolver” would come next.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
It also showed considerable artistic growth from the group’s strong 2012 debut record, “Boys & Girls,” expanding the band’s sonic palette and branching out thematically.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
A meteor streaked across the New York City area in broad daylight on July 16, 2024, producing a sonic boom as it passed just south of the Statue of Liberty.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026
“I was not in dothe,” I said, “I was in a sonic field.”
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
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.
