supersonic
greater than the speed of sound waves through air.
capable of achieving such speed: a supersonic plane.
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Origin of supersonic
1Other words from supersonic
- su·per·son·i·cal·ly, adverb
Words Nearby supersonic
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use supersonic in a sentence
The goal has always been to accelerate the adoption of quieter, greener, safer, faster and more efficient planes — even supersonic ones, which travel faster than sound.
The NASA Engineer Who’s a Mathematician at Heart | Susan D'Agostino | January 19, 2021 | Quanta MagazineThe aircraft goes supersonic effortlessly, a far cry from the diminutive X-1 flown by Yeager on October 14, 1947.
Chuck Yeager has died at 97, but the legacy of his record-breaking flight lives on | Rob Verger | December 8, 2020 | Popular-ScienceThe XB-1 by BoomSupersonic airplanes come roaring backRewind two decades or so, and civilians with access to lots of money had a way to travel at supersonic speeds via the Concorde.
The most daring aerospace innovations of 2020 | By Rob Verger and Charlie Wood | December 2, 2020 | Popular-ScienceBoom supersonic is closer than ever to its goal of introducing supersonic commercial aviation back tot he global stage – the Colorado-based startup unveiled the final design of its XB-1 demonstrator aircraft today.
Here’s your first look at Boom Supersonic’s faster-than-sound XB-1 demonstrator aircraft | Darrell Etherington | October 7, 2020 | TechCrunchFounded in 2014, Boom is planning to build a new generation of supersonic passenger jets and sell them to airlines.
Meet the XB-1: A prototype for a modern supersonic passenger jet | Eric Berger | October 7, 2020 | Ars Technica
The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps also use the supersonic F/A-18 Hornet strike fighter to guide other jets to their targets.
Air Force Pilots Say They're Flying Blind Against ISIS | Dave Majumdar | October 10, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIn this way the missile does not need pinpoint accuracy: widely spread supersonic shrapnel from the warhead is deadly.
MH17 Is the World’s First Open-Source Air Crash Investigation | Clive Irving | July 22, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHypersonic is the new supersonic, a frontier of speed dreamed of but not yet conquered.
Result: a supersonic, pulsating jackhammer of 1,700-degree F exhaust gas.
Why Can’t America’s Newest Stealth Jet Land Like It’s Supposed To? | Bill Sweetman | May 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTMusk says that it would probably be faster and cheaper to use supersonic planes to cover longer distances.
It coughed once, sending a beam of supersonic energy into the bodies of both men.
The Penal Cluster | Ivar Jorgensen (AKA Randall Garrett)Lee stared at the apparition which swiftly materialized out of the ground haze at the plane's supersonic speed.
The Brain | Alexander BladeHe knew the exact vibration level of my body, and had set supersonic traps to kill me if I tried to enter.
Shock Treatment | Stanley MullenA tiny doll, proportioned like a woman, dashed toward me, shrilling in a supersonic shriek.
The Door Through Space | Marion Zimmer BradleyA wave of some sort—probably subsonic or supersonic—continuously filled the Vininese atmosphere.
The Instant of Now | Irving E. Cox, Jr.
British Dictionary definitions for supersonic
/ (ˌsuːpəˈsɒnɪk) /
being, having, or capable of reaching a speed in excess of the speed of sound: supersonic aircraft
Derived forms of supersonic
- supersonically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for supersonic
[ sōō′pər-sŏn′ĭk ]
Having a speed greater than that of sound in a designated medium, usually air; having a speed greater than Mach 1. Compare hypersonic subsonic transonic.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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