sonar
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sonar¹
- /ˈsoʊ.nɑːɹ/ US
- /ˈsəʊ.nɑː/ UK
Where it comes from
By anacronymic evolution from SONAR.
noun sonars · SONAR
-
Artificial echolocation by use of electronic equipment, with hydrophones to locate objects underwater, using the same wave-analysis principles that radar uses.
They were able to detect the sunken wreck using sonar.
Similar: ASDIC
- A device that provides such echolocation. They finally bought a new sonar to replace the 40-year-old unit that sometimes didn't work right.
- Any echolocation. Submarines and bats both use sonar to navigate.
SONAR²
Where it comes from
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.
noun SONARs
- Dated form of sonar
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: echo sounder, asdic, radar, ultrasound, sound, echosounder, sounder, echo sounding, depth sounder, echosounding, sofar, doppler sonar, soundome, sonobuoy, sounding, acousticolateralis
Translations
Every language
Talk about this word "sonar." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/sonar. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. sonar. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/sonar "sonar." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/sonar.Cite this
@misc{sonar_2026,
title = {sonar},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/sonar},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
