terminal velocity

American  

noun

1. Physics.

   1. the velocity at which a falling body moves through a medium, as air, when the force of resistance of the medium is equal in magnitude and opposite in direction to the force of gravity.

   2. the maximum velocity of a body falling through a viscous fluid.

2. Rocketry, Ballistics.

   1. the greatest speed that a rocket, missile, etc., attains after burnout or after leaving the barrel of a gun.

   2. the speed of a missile or projectile on impact with its target.

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terminal velocity British  

noun

1. the constant maximum velocity reached by a body falling under gravity through a fluid, esp the atmosphere

2. the velocity of a missile or projectile when it reaches its target

3. the maximum velocity attained by a rocket, missile, or shell flying in a parabolic flight path

4. the maximum velocity that an aircraft can attain, as determined by its total drag

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Example Sentences

At what point does a phone hit terminal velocity?

From Slate • Jan. 11, 2024

All objects have a certain terminal velocity that they reach when falling through the air, based on how their size and weight interact with wind resistance.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 8, 2024

In analyzing their data, they also discovered that fluctuations in the terminal velocity frequency distribution followed the same pattern.

From Science Daily • Dec. 19, 2023

You can also calculate this terminal velocity, or upper speed limit, quite easily.

From Scientific American • Jul. 24, 2023

A brick of loneliness is reaching terminal velocity inside me.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell