hypersonic
Americanadjective
adjective
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Relating to or capable of speeds equal to or exceeding five times the speed of sound (Mach 5 and above).
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Compare subsonic supersonic transonic
Other Word Forms
- hypersonics noun
Etymology
Origin of hypersonic
Compare meaning
How does hypersonic compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
Aside from using air defenses, Beijing may also be able to hit American ships with superfast hypersonic missiles hundreds of miles from the shore.
Ukrainian operators have used Patriots to shoot down Russian hypersonic missiles, particularly as they slow on descent, surprising defense analysts who didn’t think the Patriot would be able to intercept such missiles.
It has contracts with drug companies and also the military, which tests technology at hypersonic speeds as the capsules return to Earth.
From Los Angeles Times
“From a defense standpoint, whether it’s a drone swarm that’s coming at a military base, whether it’s a hypersonic missile coming at the United States…you want to be able to take them down potentially faster than a human could alone,” Michael told Bloomberg News.
Defense Minister John Healey said on Friday, referring to Britain and Germany cooperating on a long-range hypersonic missile—a field Europe is behind on.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
