Meanings
noundumb hole (plural dumb holes)
plural dumb holes
- A phenomenon in which phonons (sound perturbations) are unable to escape from a fluid that is flowing more quickly than the local speed of sound.
Synonyms: sonic black hole
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA phenomenon in which phonons (sound perturbations) are unable to escape from a fluid that is flowing more quickly than the local speed of sound.
Similar
sonic black hole
Origin
Similar to black hole, formed with dumb (“mute, silent”). Used at least since 1994.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
dumb hole. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumb%20hole
MLA
“dumb hole.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumb%20hole. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “dumb hole,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/dumb%20hole.
Source: dumb hole on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.