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# ultrasound

noun (ultrasound, uncountable; an ultrasound, ultrasounds — a scan)

«ultrasound» in the English dictionary: everyday — its meanings, how the lessons use it, and examples, each with its tree on Mova.

## Everyday

1. Ultrasound is sound that is too high-pitched for humans to hear, but some animals like bats and dogs can hear it. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#m1)
2. An ultrasound (scan) is a medical test that uses these sound waves to make a picture of the inside of the body, often used to look at a baby before it is born. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#m2)
3. Ultrasound is also used in cleaning machines and in some medical treatments. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#m3)

### In the lessons

In science lessons ultrasound shows that sound is a vibration and that some sounds are beyond our hearing range; bats and dolphins use echoes of high sounds to find their way (echolocation). In everyday family life, a parent might show a grainy ultrasound picture of a new baby. It is safe and does not use X-rays. Phrases: «ultrasound scan», «have an ultrasound», «ultrasound picture».

### Examples

- Mum showed us the ultrasound of our baby sister. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#x1)
- Bats use ultrasound to find insects in the dark. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#x2)
- The doctor used ultrasound to look at Dad's sore knee. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#x3)
- We can't hear ultrasound, but a dog whistle shows dogs can. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#x4)
- The ultrasound picture looked like a fuzzy black-and-white blob. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#x5)
- Dolphins send out ultrasound clicks and listen for the echoes. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#x6)
- Ultrasound waves bounce back from things inside the body. [tree →](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/#x7)

### Note

Uncountable for the sound itself; countable for a scan (an ultrasound, two ultrasounds). «Ultra-» means beyond: beyond the sounds we hear. Compare «infrasound», which is too low to hear. An ultrasound is not an X-ray.

## On Mova

- [Trees and pragmatics of «ultrasound» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/U/ultrasound/): every meaning and example parsed by Mova, with its dependency tree and frames.
- [«ultrasound» in the school dictionary](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/school/w/ultrasound.html) on Mova free.