sound barrier

American  

noun

1. Also called transonic barrier.  Also called sonic barrier.  (not in technical use) a hypothetical barrier to flight beyond the speed of sound, so postulated because aircraft undergo an abruptly increasing drag force induced by compression of the surrounding air when traveling near the speed of sound.

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idioms

1. break the sound barrier, to travel faster than the speed of sound.

sound barrier British  

noun

1. Also called: sonic barrier.   transonic barrier.  (not in technical usage) a hypothetical barrier to flight at or above the speed of sound, when a sudden large increase in drag occurs

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Etymology

Origin of sound barrier

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

But its treatment in general showed "there are still areas where the #MeToo movement has not yet breached the sound barrier, chiefly in men's football," she added.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

Chief Executive Bryon Hargis said it isn’t the straightforward engineering of quintupling the sound barrier that has held the U.S. back, but the manufacturing challenge of mass-producing weapons that can do so reliably and economically.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

Heart-stopping sonic booms interrupt the hum of traffic in Beirut, as Israeli warplanes break the sound barrier in the skies above.

From BBC • Aug. 14, 2024

In 1947, Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier just north of Los Angeles County, at Edwards Air Force Base, where space shuttles landed from 1981 through 2009.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 17, 2024

At NASA’s High-Speed Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base—the place where pilot Chuck Yeager first cracked through the sound barrier in 1947— engineer John Perry manned an X-15 simulator.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly