hypersonic

adjective

hy·​per·​son·​ic ˌhī-pər-ˈsä-nik 

1

: of or relating to speed five or more times that of sound in air compare sonic

2

: moving, capable of moving, or utilizing air currents that move at hypersonic speed

hypersonic wind tunnel

hypersonically

ˌhī-pər-ˈsä-ni-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Examples of hypersonic in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Payloads included two satellites for the Missile Defense Agency to track hypersonic missiles and four more satellites for the Tranche 0 constellation for the Space Development Agency. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 May 2026

This proved that essential components can survive the extreme thermal and mechanical stresses of hypersonic flights. —Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026

Hermeus, a hypersonic aircraft company, recently announced its move to El Segundo, joining aerospace companies such as True Anomaly and Voyager Technologies that recently opened plants in Long Beach. —Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 28 Apr. 2026

Nations now need to defend everywhere, all the time, against threats ranging from a $1,000 quadcopter with a half-pound of explosives to multimillion-dollar ballistic and hypersonic missiles. —Brynn Tannehill, The Atlantic, 31 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

International Scientific Vocabulary

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for hypersonic

• anharmonic
• anionic
• avionic
• catatonic
• cationic
• chorionic
• cosmogonic
• diachronic
• diatonic
• electronic
• embryonic
• excitonic