subsonic
Americanadjective
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noting or pertaining to a speed less than that of sound in air at the same height above sea level.
adjective
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Having a speed less than that of sound in a designated medium, usually air; having a velocity less than Mach 1.
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Compare hypersonic supersonic transonic
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of subsonic
1940–45; sub- + sonic ( def. )
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Even then Tomahawks, which fly at subsonic speeds at a low altitude, could be vulnerable to Russian air defenses.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
Right above the shores of Huntington Beach, a retired American subsonic T-33 fighter jet darted across the blue canvas of a clear afternoon sky, leaving a spiraling plume of smoke in its wake.
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2025
In terms of purely destructive power, however, hypersonic missiles are not hugely different from supersonic or subsonic cruise missiles, according to Mr Freer.
From BBC • Aug. 21, 2025
The venerable A-10, which first flew more than 50 years ago, is a single-seat, subsonic attack aircraft designed to provide close air support to ground troops by attacking enemy armored vehicles.
From Washington Times • Oct. 13, 2023
The horse didn’t seem happy about it, but he slowed to subsonic as they zipped through the city streets.
From "The Son of Neptune" by Rick Riordan
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
