: a method or device for detecting and locating objects especially underwater by means of sound waves sent out to be reflected by the objects
also
: a device for detecting the presence of a vessel (such as a submarine) by the sound it emits in water
Examples of sonar in a Sentence
They detected the submarine by using sonar.
Recent Examples on the Web
Project Recover located the wreckage of the bomber in 2017 at 213 feet deep in the Hansa Bay using sonar, imaging devices and unmanned aerial and underwater robots, according to the nonprofit.
—
Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Currently, those multibeam sonars have completed 15 percent of the Great Lakes bed mapping.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2025
In addition to his normal duties, Klimek serves as a field training officer, sonar operator, background investigator, and passenger for hire inspector, all for the Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Each day, shortly after sunrise, Wei and her team lowered a powerful sonar instrument, resembling a yellow space shuttle the size of a bathtub, into the water.
—Bywarren Cornwall, science.org, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sonar
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Krystal Nurse, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2025
Currently, those multibeam sonars have completed 15 percent of the Great Lakes bed mapping.
—Emilie Le Beau Lucchesi, Discover Magazine, 13 Jan. 2025
In addition to his normal duties, Klimek serves as a field training officer, sonar operator, background investigator, and passenger for hire inspector, all for the Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement.
—Post-Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 16 Feb. 2025
Each day, shortly after sunrise, Wei and her team lowered a powerful sonar instrument, resembling a yellow space shuttle the size of a bathtub, into the water.
—Bywarren Cornwall, science.org, 9 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sonar
Articles Related to sonar
Cite this Entry
“Sonar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonar. Accessed 12 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sonar
noun
so·nar
ˈsō-ˌnär 
: a device for detecting the presence and location of submerged objects (as submarines) by sound waves
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