Sonic Boom (Noun)
Meaning
An explosive sound caused by the shock wave of an airplane traveling faster than the speed of sound; "a sonic boom follows an aircraft as a wake follows a ship".
Classification
Nouns denoting natural events.
Examples
- As the jet fighter broke the sound barrier, it created a sonic boom that shattered windows on the ground.
- The astronauts had to deal with a sonic boom as the space shuttle re-entered the Earth's atmosphere at incredible speeds.
- During World War II, fighter pilots encountered sonic booms as their planes reached high velocities while engaging enemy aircraft.
- As the Concorde traveled faster than the speed of sound, a sonic boom would follow the supersonic jet on its flight path.
- People living near military air bases often hear sonic booms produced by military jets that regularly exceed Mach 1.