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

Inflatable habitat pods are rocketed to Mars, and land on the Red Planet with the help of a parachute and airbags. — NBC News, "Here's what future Mars and lunar space colonies could look like," 7 July 2018 But the parachute deployment was low enough that Howard's backup chute deployed automatically, Ketterling said. — Laurel Andrews, Anchorage Daily News, "Fairbanks man dies in Palmer skydiving accident," 24 June 2018 Eventually, a series of parachutes will deploy to slow the Soyuz down for landing. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "Watch three astronauts return to Earth from the International Space station this weekend," 2 June 2018 If all goes well, the three-legged InSight will descend by parachute and engine firings onto a flat equatorial region of Mars — believed to be free of big, potentially dangerous rocks — on Nov. 26. — Marcia Dunn, Philly.com, "NASA launches InSight spacecraft to Mars to dig down deep," 5 May 2018 The pant’s parachute silhouette was a directional touch that dressed up the khaki. — Edward Barsamian, Vogue, "Kim Kardashian West’s Summer Date Night Look? Tactical Pants and Heels," 7 July 2018 The war effort included making parachutes, as the worker above is doing at a facility in Gainesville. — Shane Harrison, ajc, "Flashback to 1943: 75 years ago in Georgia," 5 July 2018 The sari was 💯, as were, elsewhere, garlic, parachute, stethoscope, and sloth. — Virginia Heffernan, WIRED, "The Delicate Art of Creating New Emoji," 28 June 2018 No one recalled seeing parachutes, and other pilots saw the plane mangled, its wings torn off, in flames on the ground. — Matt Stiles, latimes.com, "North Korea is expected to turn over remains of war casualties. One California woman hopes her father's are among them," 22 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Richemont was even smart enough not to try to parachute in a new designer after the unexpected death of the founder last November, and to let the studio carry on his legacy — which also happens to be protected by a foundation the designer created. — Vanessa Friedman, New York Times, "Is the Independent Designer an Endangered Species?," 15 June 2018 The aim was to parachute them into Greece to work with the partisan guerrillas. — Carl Nolte, San Francisco Chronicle, "Secret World War II work behind enemy lines earns Bay Area man high honor," 21 Mar. 2018 Some winners are celebrated more than others and Watson, more the guy who returns home to win than the guest who parachutes in, is rightfully one of them. — Mike Anthony, courant.com, "Mike Anthony: Bubba Watson Gives Travelers A Familiar Injection Of Energy," 25 June 2018 Merritt, 94, who parachuted into Normandy on D-Day and joined more than 100 other storied veterans of the division who marched by reviewing stands as the crowd watched tearfully, the 82nd still had one more crowd-pleaser ready to display. — Helene Cooper, New York Times, "Everyone Loves a Parade. Especially When It’s on a Military Base.," 27 May 2018 There’s also the Presidential Innovation Fellows, or PIFs, so that’s more like a single person parachutes in and tackles a hard problem. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Matt Cutts of the U.S. Digital Service on Recode Decode," 12 July 2018 He was carried by balloon into the stratosphere, then parachuted nearly 136,000 feet -- breaking a world altitude record in 2014. — CBS News, ""From impossible to inevitable": Developers give first look at new flying car," 12 July 2018 Filmmaker Jennifer Peedom traverses the globe to capture the exploits of mountaineers, ice climbers, free soloists, heli-skiers, snowboarders, wingsuiters and parachuting mountain bikers. — Kevin Crust, latimes.com, "L.A. movie openings, May 25," 20 May 2018 Edwin Sibley flew infantry fighters who parachuted behind enemy lines on D-Day and died six months later when his C-47 Skytrain plane crashed while crossing the English Channel. — Lisa Maria Garza, OrlandoSentinel.com, "South Lake County veterans 'who gave all' honored with Memorial Day banners," 24 May 2018

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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Dictionary Entries near parachute

Statistics for parachute

Last Updated

8 Oct 2018

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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