Sonar

/ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ/ noun

noun ·Moderate ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Artificial echolocation by use of electronic equipment, with hydrophones to locate objects underwater, using the same wave-analysis principles that radar uses. uncountable, usually

    "They were able to detect the sunken wreck using sonar."

  2. 2
    Dated form of sonar. alt-of, countable, dated, uncountable
  3. 3
    a measuring instrument that sends out an acoustic pulse in water and measures distances in terms of the time for the echo of the pulse to return wordnet
  4. 4
    A device that provides such echolocation. countable

    "They finally bought a new sonar to replace the 40-year-old unit that sometimes didn't work right."

  5. 5
    Any echolocation. broadly, countable, uncountable

    "Submarines and bats both use sonar to navigate."

Synonyms

All synonyms
acoustic navigation systemasdicastronavigationbathometrybathymetrybroadcast

Example

More examples

"Sonar uses sound waves to 'see' in the water."

Etymology

Etymology 1

By anacronymic evolution from SONAR.

Etymology 2

Acronym of sound navigation and ranging. Coined by American scientist Frederick Vinton Hunt in the 1940s, roughly contemporaneously with radar. The lowercase form (sonar) is by anacronymic evolution.

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