chute

1 of 2

noun

variants or less commonly shute
1
b
: a quick descent (as in a river) : rapid
2
: an inclined plane, sloping channel, or passage down or through which things may pass : slide
3
4

chute

2 of 2

verb

chuted; chuting

transitive verb

: to convey by a chute

intransitive verb

1
: to go in or as if in a chute
2
: to utilize a chute (as by passing ore down it)

Examples of chute in a Sentence

Noun She dropped the towels into the laundry chute. children sliding down a water chute The skiers came racing down the chute.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Nick Burks, 37, and his friend were backcountry skiing the chute on Gunsight Mountain on March 6 near the Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort, according to the Baker County Sheriff's Office. Brian Brant, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024 Nick Burks, 37, and a friend — both experienced and carrying avalanche air bags and beacons — were backcountry skiing the chute on Gunsight Mountain on Wednesday, near Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort. CBS News, 12 Mar. 2024 When hungry crows knocked a coin down a chute, whether by accident or in frustration, a sensor would command the machine to release some food. Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 5 Mar. 2024 Are there guys who are going to be on innings limits or pitch limits coming out of the chute? Charlie Goldsmith, The Enquirer, 2 Jan. 2024 After Dupray and others complained of unsanitary conditions, roaches and unlocked trash rooms, in recent weeks management found a solution: Now the trash rooms are locked, requiring the seniors to take their garbage downstairs instead of using the trash chutes. Judith Prieve, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Out of the chute First out of the chute Friday evening was bareback rider Shane O’Connell of Rapid City, S.D., who stayed on Twisted Pearl for a full 8-second ride. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Jan. 2024 But the new documentary Gerard Depardieu: La chute de l’ogre — which aired in December and also features footage of Depardieu making sexist remarks during a trip to North Korea in 2018 — led to new waves of scrutiny and backlash. Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 22 Jan. 2024 Rodriguez had more than 600 jumps but apparently failed to pull either his main or reserve parachutes, according to The Record. April 7, 1993 Deven Whittaker, 15, died after his main parachute deployed improperly and became entangled with a backup chute, according to an FAA incident report. Stephen Hobbs, Sacramento Bee, 24 Jan. 2024
Verb
Next, the researchers tested the grinding process, placing a Faraday cup under the grinder chute to measure how much electrical static accumulated on the ground beans, varying coffee varieties, roasting levels, and grind settings. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 6 Dec. 2023 The Nike Air Jordan 3 sneakers were placed in a donation chute at the homeless shelter in April and landed in a bin in the building’s basement. Kyle Melnick, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2023 Insert the side discharge chute Install the side discharge chute on a 3-function mower (mulches, side discharges or bags). Roy Berendsohn, Popular Mechanics, 10 July 2023 Taller grass was no issue for this machine, and the side discharge chute powerfully ejects clippings far away from the mower, with no lawn chunks in sight. Kat De Naoum, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 June 2023 As Kaiser and Diehl fielded questions in the race chute after finishing, musher John Baker stood nearby, chatting with some friends. Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News, 15 Mar. 2023 Two and a half feet of rain beat down upon the face of the San Gabriels, wiping out the rustic resorts wedged into the canyons, and chuting runoff waters down onto the plain along ancient dry rivulets and freshets and canyons that Angelenos had forgotten or never known about. Patt Morrisoncolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2023 Once inside, people then shoveled the coal through a small door or chute into the storage room, coal cellar, or furnace closet. Hadley Mendelsohn, House Beautiful, 5 Jan. 2023 The mountains bear that bright March radiance, glowing in creamy white palettes that chute down their steep sides. Alli Harvey, Anchorage Daily News, 2 Apr. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'chute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French, from Old French, from cheoir to fall, from Latin cadere — more at chance

First Known Use

Noun

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1884, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of chute was in 1805

Dictionary Entries Near chute

Cite this Entry

“Chute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chute. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

chute

noun
variants also shute
ˈshüt
1
: an inclined plane, sloping channel, or passage down or through which things may pass
a coal chute
a mail chute
2

More from Merriam-Webster on chute

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