parachute

noun

para·chute | \ ˈper-ə-ˌshüt

, ˈpa-rə-\

Definition of parachute

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a device for slowing the descent of a person or object through the air that consists of a fabric canopy beneath which the person or object is suspended

2 : patagium

3 : a device or structure suggestive of a parachute in form, use, or operation

parachute

verb

parachuted; parachuting

Definition of parachute (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to convey by means of a parachute

intransitive verb

: to descend by means of a parachute

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Examples of parachute in a Sentence

Noun

The pilot was wearing a parachute. The supplies were dropped by parachute.

Verb

The soldiers parachuted in and quickly hid their gear. New troops parachuted into enemy territory. We will parachute supplies in after you arrive. New troops were parachuted into enemy territory.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

After flying for two minutes, joined by wingsuit cameraman Scotty Nice -- who jumped from a helicopter to shoot the record attempt -- Andersson deployed his parachute and touched down. — Jonathan Hawkins, CNN, "Wingsuit wonder Anton 'Squeezer' Andersson reaches new daredevil limits," 22 Aug. 2019 The woman, whose name was not released, was skydiving Saturday near Trois-Rivières, Quebec, when her main and backup parachutes failed to open. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "Woman went skydiving but her parachute didn’t open. She survived 5,000 plunge.," 16 Aug. 2019 An experienced skydiver in Quebec reportedly survived a fall of more than 5,000 feet last Saturday when her main parachute and reserve both malfunctioned. — Fox News, "Skydiver survives 5,000-foot fall in Quebec after parachute malfunctions," 16 Aug. 2019 He was forced to deploy his reserve parachute but doesn’t remember much after that. — orlandosentinel.com, "Disabled Eustis vet gets new roof through joint partnership: 'It makes me want to cry’," 7 Aug. 2019 Contrast that with Shepard the actor: His parachute always opens, his kisses are always reciprocated, his enemy is always slain. — Graeme Wood, The Atlantic, "Sam Shepard Saw It All Coming," 11 July 2019 No one reported seeing a parachute get deployed before the crash at the time, and that September, Knight’s father was declared dead by the Air Force. — Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, "Son Flies Dad’s Remains Home 52 Years After War Vet Declared Dead: 'Entire Airport Fell Silent'," 9 Aug. 2019 No one reported seeing a parachute before the aircraft crashed, bursting into flames, nor were beeper signals heard. — Kendall Trammell, CNN, "An entire airport came to a halt to honor the remains of a returning Vietnam veteran," 8 Aug. 2019 Or else perhaps you are clad in a Chinese military parachute upcycled into a smart suit like those at the British label Raeburn, which fold down to roughly the size of a bandanna. — New York Times, "If You Can Get Killed Doing It, Fashion Wants It," 7 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

After offing one of the Toretto family’s loved ones and parachuting away from her airbase in The Fate of the Furious, Cipher will be back to again face off against Dom and company in Fast & Furious 9. — Marcus Jones, EW.com, "Charlize Theron ditches the dreads for Cipher's return in Fast & Furious 9," 2 Sep. 2019 In 1987, British millionaire Richard Branson and Per Lindstrand became the first hot-air balloon travelers to cross the Atlantic, parachuting into the sea as their craft went down off the Scottish coast. — BostonGlobe.com, "This day in history," 3 July 2019 In the 1930s, the Forest Service began testing the viability of parachuting small teams into remote areas, and on July 12, 1940, the first smokejumpers were deployed onto the Marten Creek Fire in Idaho’s Nez Perce National Forest. — Mark Jenkins, National Geographic, "When wildfires break out, this elite team of ‘smokejumpers’ parachute in," 12 June 2019 And that’s why VW workers from factories around the world that soon will start producing MEB cars are parachuting into Zwickau to get up to speed. — Fortune, "Electric Car Gold Rush: The Auto Industry Charges Into China," 20 Aug. 2019 The dangerous job would involve parachuting behind enemy lines and fighting the Germans at close range. — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Daughter honors father’s memory at 75th anniversary of ‘The Other D-Day’ in France," 6 Aug. 2019 And these Republicans parachuting out of the Republican Party underscore how vulnerable Trump really is, despite the growing economy. — NBC News, "Rep. Will Hurd's surprise retirement is big, bad news for the GOP," 2 Aug. 2019 Right now, the top clip on Reddit is a wild dogfight where a player parachutes out of a plane only to have that plane crash right into the enemy, sending their rival down in flames. — Patricia Hernandez, The Verge, "Fortnite adds planes and now people are playing it like Battlefield," 6 Dec. 2018 In the mini-movie, the Queen greeted Bond at Buckingham Palace, before a stunt double for the monarch parachuted into the Olympic stadium from a helicopter. — Rob Picheta, CNN, "An heir-raising new role? Prince Charles stirs up James Bond set," 21 June 2019

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

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Statistics for parachute

Last Updated

27 Aug 2019

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Time Traveler for parachute

The first known use of parachute was in 1784

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More Definitions for parachute

parachute

noun

English Language Learners Definition of parachute

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a piece of equipment usually made of cloth that is fastened to people or things and that allows them to fall slowly and land safely after they have jumped or been dropped from an aircraft

parachute

verb

English Language Learners Definition of parachute (Entry 2 of 2)

: to jump from an aircraft using a parachute

: to drop (someone or something) from an aircraft using a parachute

See the full definition for parachute in the English Language Learners Dictionary

parachute

noun

para·chute | \ ˈper-ə-ˌshüt