sonic boom
noun
: a sound resembling an explosion produced when a shock wave formed at the nose of an aircraft traveling at supersonic speed reaches the ground
called also sonic bang
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web That’s because Saturday’s meteor broke the sound barrier due to its speed and size, resulting in the sonic boom heard across the region, Paul Ricketts, the director for the South Physics Observatory at the University of Utah, said. 
Anastasia Hufham, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Aug. 2022 The plane will fly without needing noisy, fuel-guzzling afterburners but will continue to generate a sufficiently loud sonic boom to limit flights above land to just below Mach 1. Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 16 Aug. 2022 Residents who live near the coal terminal describe the explosion’s impact as similar to an earthquake or a sonic boom. Lilly Price, Baltimore Sun, 15 June 2022 Many witnesses to the celestial show also reported hearing a sonic boom, which is an indication that small meteorite fragments from the fireball, thought to be the size of a small car, might have reached the ground, the Meteor Society said. Hogan Gore, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022 And then, on Wednesday afternoon, came the sonic boom. Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2022 In one famous example, engineers in Japan modeled the front of their high-speed bullet train after the shape of a kingfisher's beak to make the design more streamlined and eliminate the sonic boom. Melina Walling, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2022 The waves generated beyond Tonga, however, may have come from the sonic boom of the blast itself, which Lynett said is a new phenomenon. Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2022 One likely explanation is that expanding debris from the merger generated a shock wave, akin to a sonic boom, in addition to the jets. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2022 See More
Anastasia Hufham, The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Aug. 2022 The plane will fly without needing noisy, fuel-guzzling afterburners but will continue to generate a sufficiently loud sonic boom to limit flights above land to just below Mach 1. Rob Pegoraro, PCMAG, 16 Aug. 2022 Residents who live near the coal terminal describe the explosion’s impact as similar to an earthquake or a sonic boom. Lilly Price, Baltimore Sun, 15 June 2022 Many witnesses to the celestial show also reported hearing a sonic boom, which is an indication that small meteorite fragments from the fireball, thought to be the size of a small car, might have reached the ground, the Meteor Society said. Hogan Gore, USA TODAY, 27 July 2022 And then, on Wednesday afternoon, came the sonic boom. Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2022 In one famous example, engineers in Japan modeled the front of their high-speed bullet train after the shape of a kingfisher's beak to make the design more streamlined and eliminate the sonic boom. Melina Walling, The Arizona Republic, 22 Apr. 2022 The waves generated beyond Tonga, however, may have come from the sonic boom of the blast itself, which Lynett said is a new phenomenon. Jonah Valdez, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2022 One likely explanation is that expanding debris from the merger generated a shock wave, akin to a sonic boom, in addition to the jets. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 3 Mar. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1952, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
sonic boom
noun
: a sound like an explosion that is made by an aircraft traveling faster than the speed of sound