Doppler effect
noun
: a change in the frequency with which waves (as of sound or light) from a given source reach an observer when the source and the observer are in motion with respect to each other so that the frequency increases or decreases according to the speed at which the distance is decreasing or increasing
Examples of Doppler effect in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The electric piano is completely left and right, and it’s got this Doppler effect in it.
—
Josh Weiss, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Frequency shifts indicate the object’s speed via the Doppler effect.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Oct. 2022
By analyzing the Doppler effect—the observed frequency emitted by a sound source relative to the observer—the researchers found that the pitch frequency didn’t line up with a missile coming from southwest Gaza.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
This is known as the Doppler effect, when there’s change in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves from a source that’s moving in relation to its observer.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 May 2024
The Doppler effect, which detects energy pulses, was discovered by Austrian physicist Christian Doppler and named after him.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 1 Feb. 2024
The tripods also allowed researchers to build a JANUS receiver, advanced versions of which could minimize decoding errors and account for the Doppler effect.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2017
Doppler Effect One possibility for this redshift is that the galaxies are physically moving, and that something like the Doppler effect (the shifting in tone that happens to moving sounds) could explain the results.
—Paul M. Sutter, Discover Magazine, 30 Mar. 2023
Researchers use a version of the Doppler effect to gauge the distances of objects.
—Quanta Magazine, 20 Jan. 2023
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Josh Weiss, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025
Frequency shifts indicate the object’s speed via the Doppler effect.
—IEEE Spectrum, 25 Oct. 2022
By analyzing the Doppler effect—the observed frequency emitted by a sound source relative to the observer—the researchers found that the pitch frequency didn’t line up with a missile coming from southwest Gaza.
—Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 15 July 2024
This is known as the Doppler effect, when there’s change in the frequency of sound, light, or other waves from a source that’s moving in relation to its observer.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 May 2024
The Doppler effect, which detects energy pulses, was discovered by Austrian physicist Christian Doppler and named after him.
—Jacqueline Pinedo, Sacramento Bee, 1 Feb. 2024
The tripods also allowed researchers to build a JANUS receiver, advanced versions of which could minimize decoding errors and account for the Doppler effect.
—IEEE Spectrum, 11 July 2017
Doppler Effect One possibility for this redshift is that the galaxies are physically moving, and that something like the Doppler effect (the shifting in tone that happens to moving sounds) could explain the results.
—Paul M. Sutter, Discover Magazine, 30 Mar. 2023
Researchers use a version of the Doppler effect to gauge the distances of objects.
—Quanta Magazine, 20 Jan. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Doppler effect.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Doppler%20effect. Accessed 1 Apr. 2025.
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