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Synonyms

mach

1 American  
[mahk] / mɑk /
Or Mach

noun

  1. mach number.

Mach 2 American  
[mahk, mahkh] / mɑk, mɑx /

noun

  1. Ernst 1838–1916, Austrian physicist, psychologist, and philosopher.

mach. 3 American  

abbreviation

  1. machine.

  2. machinery.

  3. machinist.

Mach 1 British  
/ mæk /

noun

  1. short for Mach number

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Mach 2 British  
/ max /

noun

  1. Ernst (ɛrnst). 1838–1916, Austrian physicist and philosopher. He devised the system of speed measurement using the Mach number. He also founded logical positivism, asserting that the validity of a scientific law is proved only after empirical testing

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Mach Scientific  
/ mäk,mäkh /

  1. Austrian physicist and philosopher who experimented with supersonic projectiles and the flow of gases, obtaining early photographs of shock waves and gas jets. His work laid an important foundation for later developments in the science of projectiles and aeronautical design, and the Mach number and Mach bands were named for him.

Usage

How fast is Mach 1? A Mach number is the ratio of an object's speed in a given medium to the speed of sound in that medium.Mach 1, then, is the speed of sound, around 761 mph at sea level on a standard day. The term is also used as a metaphor for high speeds more generally.How to pronounce Mach 1[ mahk wuhn ]

Etymology

Origin of mach

After Ernst Mach

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.

These missiles travel at Mach 5 or faster and are much more difficult to track and shoot down than conventional versions.

From The Wall Street Journal

His company, Southern California-based Mach Industries, last year spun up a balloon project and developed a new way of manufacturing material that avoids hand-stitching and radically reduces the cost.

From The Wall Street Journal

These waves reached speeds of up to Mach 5.6.

From Science Daily

The object raced through the atmosphere at roughly Mach 25-30, moving northeast over Santa Barbara and Las Vegas at about ten times the speed of the fastest jet aircraft.

From Science Daily

The company plans next year to break the Mach 5 threshold that is considered hypersonic.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.