: 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
Over millennia, marine animals have honed ears and sonar-like abilities to read their world in vibrations and echoes, turning the ocean into a place both alive with sound and fine-tuned to its subtleties.
—
Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
The seamount is 250 miles north of Palau — an island country east of the Philippines — and multibeam sonar revealed its peak is hidden about 800 feet below the surface.
—Mark Price, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Bruce’s Legacy used sonar to help locate the remains.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The Newport News is additionally equipped with advanced sonar to support surveillance as well as Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Mark 48 torpedoes for potential interdiction of surface ships.
—Amir Daftari
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sonar
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Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
The seamount is 250 miles north of Palau — an island country east of the Philippines — and multibeam sonar revealed its peak is hidden about 800 feet below the surface.
—Mark Price, Sacbee.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Bruce’s Legacy used sonar to help locate the remains.
—Abigail Adams, PEOPLE, 10 Sep. 2025
The Newport News is additionally equipped with advanced sonar to support surveillance as well as Harpoon anti-ship missiles and Mark 48 torpedoes for potential interdiction of surface ships.
—Amir Daftari
john Feng, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sonar
Cite this Entry
“Sonar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sonar. Accessed 18 Sep. 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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