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sound barrier

noun

Also called transonic barrier.��Also called sonic barrier.��(not in technical use) a hypothetical barrier to flight beyond the speed of sound, so postulated because aircraft undergo an abruptly increasing drag force induced by compression of the surrounding air when traveling near the speed of sound.

sound barrier

noun

Also called: sonic barrier.�� transonic barrier.��(not in technical usage) a hypothetical barrier to flight at or above the speed of sound, when a sudden large increase in drag occurs

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Word History and Origins

Origin of sound barrier¹

First recorded in 1950–55

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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

break the sound barrier, to travel faster than the speed of sound.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

And in Granbury, Texas, a 24ft-high sound barrier was erected in 2023 at a mining site after residents complained to public officials that the nonstop roar was keeping them awake and giving them migraines.

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On Wednesday, Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier at low altitude over the capital Beirut for the first time since the ceasefire began.

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Intense sonic booms could be heard overhead as Israeli jets broke the sound barrier.

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Along the coast in the city of Tyre, Israeli jets are swooping low, breaking the sound barrier - but the beach below is more crowded.

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Heart-stopping sonic booms interrupt the hum of traffic in Beirut, as Israeli warplanes break the sound barrier in the skies above.

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

sound as a bell sound bath

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