Jump To:

• sonic boom
  sonic boom

  noun

  a loud noise caused by the shock wave generated by an aircraft moving at supersonic speed.
• boom, sonic
  boom, sonic

  The sharp, explosive sound generated by an airplane traveling at speeds greater than the speed of sound. The sonic boom follows the aircraft much like a wake follows a ship.

sonic boom

American  

noun

1. a loud noise caused by the shock wave generated by an aircraft moving at supersonic speed.

---

sonic boom British  

noun

1. a loud explosive sound caused by the shock wave of an aircraft, etc, travelling at supersonic speed

---

sonic boom Scientific  

1. A shock wave of compressed air caused by an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound. It is often audible as a loud, explosive sound, and it sometimes causes damage to structures on the ground.

---

sonic boom ¹ Cultural  

1. See boom, sonic.

---

boom, sonic ² Cultural  

1. The sharp, explosive sound generated by an airplane traveling at speeds greater than the speed of sound. The sonic boom follows the aircraft much like a wake follows a ship.

---

Etymology

Origin of sonic boom

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sonic boom

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

"Our house shook, the doorbell went off. I thought it was a sonic boom because we've experienced that before," he said.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

Although the X-59 was designed to minimize the disruptive sonic boom typically associated with supersonic aircraft, these initial supersonic flights are not intended to demonstrate that capability.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 1, 2026

“Dragon will also announce its arrival with a brief sonic boom prior to splashing down in the Pacific Ocean,” SpaceX posted about an hour before the boom was reported.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 25, 2025

There’s a loud sound, a sonic boom as my world cracks.

From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides

Related Words

• shock wave