: 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
Wildlife officers used multiple boats with sonar to search for the missing man and were assisted by divers from the Sterling Fire Department.
—
John Aguilar, Denver Post, 10 July 2025
Rescue dive teams were deployed and used sonar and an underwater drone to try and find the man, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez
july 8, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2025
Researchers with the organization scanned 700 miles of Lake Michigan using sonar technology and used models to recreate the weather patterns that Flight 2501 would have encountered the night of the crash.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 28 June 2025
Some of my research has examined what privacy means for people observed by vehicle sensor systems such as radar, lidar and sonar.
—David Sella-Villa, The Conversation, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sonar
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John Aguilar, Denver Post, 10 July 2025
Rescue dive teams were deployed and used sonar and an underwater drone to try and find the man, officials said.
—Paloma Chavez
july 8, Sacbee.com, 8 July 2025
Researchers with the organization scanned 700 miles of Lake Michigan using sonar technology and used models to recreate the weather patterns that Flight 2501 would have encountered the night of the crash.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 28 June 2025
Some of my research has examined what privacy means for people observed by vehicle sensor systems such as radar, lidar and sonar.
—David Sella-Villa, The Conversation, 24 June 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 20 Jul. 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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