sonic boom
8
4.5
- noun
- /ˈsɒnɪk buːm/
- Specialized
:
estruendo sónico
- A sonic boom is the audio track of a shock wave.
And again, you know, these people over there, they hear the Sonic boom, the missile impact, they, they know what's going on.
- And again, you know, these people over there, they hear the Sonic boom, the missile impact, they, they know what's going on.
Examples
-
It's a sonic boom.
-
My time in Gaza was marked by long periods of aerial bombings and sonic booms.
Blog text (1) -
So if this is not a Sonic boom, what is it?
-
Dad, was that another sonic boom?
-
Suddenly we hear a double sonic boom.
Fiction book (1994) -
We hear a sonic boom.
Fiction book (1995) -
Sounded like a sonic boom.
-
Ever experience a dish-rattling sonic boom?
Academic text (2006) -
And if you're lucky, you may hear the faint pop of the sonic boom.
-
When the fighter jet broke the sound barrier, it created a loud sonic boom that could be heard for miles.
Synonyms
237
1.3
A sudden loud noise from a hit or impact
108
8.4
A sudden very loud noise, like an explosion or a slammed door
78
5.8
A sudden loud noise like the bang of a gun
33
4.0
A sudden strong wave of air and energy that moves away from an explosion or impact
33
3.4
To make a deep loud sound like thunder or a cannon
27
2.7
A sudden very loud noise that hurts your ears
19
7.3
A sudden loud sound from a hit, explosion, or when something bursts
15
3.6
A sudden loud sound when one thing hits another
14
7.5
A loud bang from an explosion or a heavy hit
10
1.2
A sudden very loud noise often from an explosion or crash
8
1.0
A sudden loud noise like thunder or an explosion
7
7.6
A loud, deep sound like an explosion or fireworks
2
8.9
A sudden loud noise like a gunshot or explosion
1
1.3
Sudden loud noises like small explosions
A sudden series of very loud bangs like explosions
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun is a straightforward composition of 'sonic' (relating to the speed of sound) + 'boom' (a loud explosive noise); a learner who knows both constituents can directly infer it denotes a loud sound caused by supersonic motion. This is a compositional, technical phrase following normal adjective+noun patterns and is cross-linguistically transparent, so it should be understandable to a B1 learner.
Etymology
Sonic boom comes from the loud boom a plane makes when it goes faster than the 'speed of sound'. As the plane outruns its own sound, the small sound waves pile up and arrive as one strong blast, so the term describes that sudden, explosive noise.