1
: utilizing, produced by, or relating to sound waves
sonic altimeter
broadly
: of or involving sound
sonic pollution
2
: having a frequency within the audibility range of the human ear
—used of waves and vibrations
3
: of, relating to, or being the speed of sound in air or about 761 miles per hour (1224 kilometers per hour) at sea level at 59°F (15°C)
Did you know?
A sonic boom is an explosive sound created by a shock wave formed at the nose of an aircraft. In 1947 a plane piloted by Chuck Yeager burst the "sound barrier" and created the first sonic boom. In the decades afterward sonic booms became a familiar sound to Americans. (Because of steps that were eventually taken, sonic booms are rarely heard anymore.) Today sonic is often used by ambitious rock musicians to describe their experimental sounds.
Examples of sonic in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
According to a press statement, the album aims to further evolve the sonic landscape of the Jaguar Era, inviting fans to embrace the season through bold, genre-defying artistry.
—
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Building on top of 2023’s initial tracklist, five new songs round out the album to reflect a vast sonic library from jazz to bossa nova to R&B and alternative pop.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024
Numerous painters in the first half of the 20th century pondered the question of sonic abstraction as a guide to making unprecedented art, proposing a wide variety of abstract rhythms of shape and color.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
With some DACs, this interface brings the best sonic performance compared to using S/PDIF, AES-EBU and USB.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
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Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 11 Dec. 2024
Building on top of 2023’s initial tracklist, five new songs round out the album to reflect a vast sonic library from jazz to bossa nova to R&B and alternative pop.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 10 Dec. 2024
Numerous painters in the first half of the 20th century pondered the question of sonic abstraction as a guide to making unprecedented art, proposing a wide variety of abstract rhythms of shape and color.
—Christopher Knight, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024
With some DACs, this interface brings the best sonic performance compared to using S/PDIF, AES-EBU and USB.
—Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for sonic
Dictionary Entries Near sonic
Cite this Entry
“Sonic.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonic. Accessed 22 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sonic
adjective
son·ic
ˈsän-ik 
: using, produced by, or relating to sound waves
Medical Definition
sonic
adjective
son·ic
ˈsän-ik
1
: having a frequency within the audibility range of the human ear
—used of waves and vibrations
2
: utilizing, produced by, or relating to sound waves
a sonic device used to rupture cell walls
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