Definitions

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.

"Even during our religious holidays, even on Good Friday, jets fly over us and break the sound barrier just to scare us," al-Jamal said.

From Barron's • Apr. 5, 2026

Turns out, it wasn’t a language barrier, it was a sound barrier.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 31, 2025

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

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

From BBC • Aug. 26, 2024

At NASA’s High-Speed Flight Research Center on Edwards Air Force Base—the place where pilot Chuck Yeager first cracked through the sound barrier in 1947— engineer John Perry manned an X-15 simulator.

From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly