sonogram

American  

[son-uh-gram, soh-nuh-] / ˈsɒn əˌgræm, ˈsoʊ nə- /

noun

Medicine/Medical.

1. the visual image produced by reflected sound waves in a diagnostic ultrasound examination.

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sonogram British  

/ ˈsəʊnəˌɡræm /

noun

1. physics a three-dimensional representation of a sound signal, using coordinates of frequency, time, and intensity

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Etymology

Origin of sonogram

First recorded in 1955–60; sono- + -gram ¹

Explanation

In medicine, a sonogram uses sound waves to display an image of some internal part of a person's body. A pregnant woman might have a sonogram to get a picture of her fetus. A sonogram most commonly produces a two-dimensional black and white image — for example, of a fetus inside its mother's uterus. Doctors use sonograms to see organs, tendons, muscles, and joints as well. A sonogram works by bouncing high frequency sounds against tissue and displaying the reflected or echoed image. The word itself combines the Latin sonus, or "sound," and the word-forming suffix -gram.

Example Sentences

The couple included four photos: The first showed the “Twilight” franchise star, 34, kissing the belly of his 29-year-old wife as she stands in a field holding sonogram images.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 27, 2026

She showed off a sonogram of the little one too.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 17, 2025

She showed the doctor a photo of her sonogram.

From Salon • Aug. 15, 2024

I’ve known friends to forgo different parts of the medical process throughout pregnancies, but the pregnancy-announcing sonogram is de rigueur.

From New York Times • Aug. 2, 2023

I took the sonogram to the kitchen table and tried to determine which part of the amorphous blob was my future niece or nephew.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson