chute

noun \ ˈshüt \

variants: or less commonly shute

Updated on: 15 May 2018

Definition of chute

1 a : fall 6b

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 : parachute

4 : spinnaker

See chute defined for English-language learners

See chute defined for kids

Examples of chute in a Sentence

She dropped the towels into the laundry chute.
children sliding down a water chute
The skiers came racing down the chute.

Recent Examples of chute from the Web

In some stations, passengers will feel they are being herded like cattle through a chute because the walkways are so narrow.

— inga saffron, Philly.com, "There's no getting around the clumsy design of SEPTA's new fare gates," 9 May 2018
Later, American gas chambers were outfitted with a chute down which poison pellets were dropped.

— naomi fry, The New Yorker, "How American Racism Influenced Hitler," 23 Apr. 2018
Splurge on a lakeside room with views of the glacier, avalanche chutes on the lake’s north side, and no fewer than five separate ice rinks right out the front door.

— katie arnold, Outside Online, "Banff's Top Family Adventures," 11 Apr. 2018
In February 2017, a massive crater opened up in the main spillway, a 3,000-foot (914-meter) concrete chute that releases water from Lake Oroville, which is California's second-largest reservoir.

— Fox News, "California storm may test spillway at nation's tallest dam," 6 Apr. 2018
Amish boys had been roped into wrangling the cows out of the barn and into the chute that led to the pen.

— jason nark, Philly.com, "As milk prices keep falling, more Pa. dairy farmers are calling it quits," 17 Apr. 2018
Wonderland's opening attracting was a lagoon with its shoot-the-chutes water ride — perfect on a hot day.

— dawn mitchell, Indianapolis Star, "RetroIndy: Indianapolis' bygone amusement parks and recreation spots," 16 Apr. 2018
The trust noted the exterior of the post-and-beam barn still has operating grain chutes.

— peter marteka, courant.com, "A Hike To Newtown's Highest Point," 15 Apr. 2018
To have a chance at winning, college and university-level rockets had to reach 1 mile in altitude, deploy a drogue parachute at the top of the flight and a main chute at a lower altitude, and carry a working payload.

— lee roop, AL.com, "Relax, California, your Citrus College Rocket Owls had a blast in Alabama," 9 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.