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• 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.

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sonic boom British  

noun

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

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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.

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sonic boom ¹ Cultural  

1. See boom, sonic.

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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.

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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

Witnesses told the BBC it sounded "like a bomb" and compared it to a "sonic boom".

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 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

A sonic boom occurs when an aircraft travels faster than the speed of sound, generating shockwaves that rapidly compress and decompress the air, producing an explosive noise.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2025

We hear the crack of a bullwhip because its tip is moving faster than the speed of sound, creating a shock wave, a small sonic boom.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan

Related Words

• shock wave