sound pressure

American  

noun

Physics.

1. Also called instantaneous sound pressure.  Also called excess sound pressure,.  the difference between the pressure at a point in a medium through which a sound wave is passing and the static pressure of the medium at that point.

2. effective sound pressure.

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Etymology

Origin of sound pressure

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

Commander Fox explains that mines generally fall into two categories: contact mines, which detonate when struck, and influence mines, which explode when sensors detect changes in sound, pressure or magnetism.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

Volume is measured in decibels, or units of sound pressure.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 10, 2024

Unlike human eardrums and conventional microphones that detect sound pressure waves, spider silk responds to changes in the velocities of air particles as they are thrust about by a sound field.

From Science Daily • May 16, 2024

In some instances, you may encounter a different decibel scale, called the sound pressure level, when ultrasound travels in water or in human and other biological tissues.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

I took my sound pressure meter down to a place where they were really loud, and it came to over 90 decibels.

From New York Times • Oct. 22, 2012