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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Outside the bedroom windows, there was a two-foot gap of tinny air, like a laundry chute. Ottessa Moshfegh, New Yorker, 30 June 2025 Indianapolis 500 Stats First Indianapolis 500: 1911 Circuit Length: 2.5-mile, rectangular oval including two long straights, four 90-degree turns and two short chutes. Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025
Verb
Aaron takes us to the International Gay Rodeo Association's Texas Tradition Rodeo, where traditional events like calf roping and chute dogging meet camp activities like steer decorating and goat dressing. Deborah Sengupta Stith, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025 An ice maker had black mold-like growth in its wall and chute. Camila Pedrosa, Sacramento Bee, 28 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for chute

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

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Chute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chute. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

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

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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