sonobuoy

/ˈsɑnoʊbɔɪ/
noun
  1. A floating device dropped from aircraft or ships that detects underwater sounds, such as those from submarines, and sends the information to a receiver.
    • The navy deployed a sonobuoy to listen for enemy submarines in the area.
    • The helicopter dropped a sonobuoy into the ocean to track the underwater vehicle.
    • Researchers used a sonobuoy to record the calls of whales migrating along the coast.
What does "sonobuoy" mean? | whatsthatwordmean | whatsthatwordmean