sound barrier

NOUN

physical boundary to supersonic

Synonyms

WEAK

sonic barrier sonic wall transonic barrier

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

To mimic the conditions of a rocket ascent, they launched the missile and, after it broke the sound barrier, triggered the abort system.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026

But its treatment in general showed "there are still areas where the #MeToo movement has not yet breached the sound barrier, chiefly in men's football," she added.

From Barron's • Feb. 24, 2026

The test flight of a plane called XB-1, developed by the company Boom Supersonic, became the first civilian jet to break the sound barrier since the Concorde.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 19, 2025

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

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024

But the light barrier is different from the sound barrier.

From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan