para·chute
ˈper-ə-ˌshüt 
ˈpa-rə-
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
parachuted; parachuting
: to convey by means of a parachute
: to descend by means of a parachute
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
Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024
Three passengers of a small plane that lost engine power minutes after takeoff suffered only minor injuries after the pilot deployed a parachute system that eased the plane’s crash landing.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
In a video obtained by CNN, an airdrop was seen going wrong when the parachute on a pallet malfunctioned.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Our plane circled Gaza City to watch the parachutes’ trajectory.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024
As the plane came into range of the target, a back door opened and parachutes quickly deployed and a stream of boxes drifted gently down to earth.
—Richard Engel, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2024
Lights that look like parachutes or jellyfish were hung by the staff, and the blue accents are inspired by the Vietnamese coastline.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Around 2:20 three planes started to drop their parachutes across the beach.
—Nicholas Kristof, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
In recent years, the Forest Service has switched from round parachutes to rectangular ones, which allow for greater maneuverability.
—ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024
Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
Video surfaced on social media this week showing someone appearing to parachute off the skyscrapers.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024
The next step will be to install a better fence at the project, which is drawing significant police resources and where city leaders fear someone will die, especially after social media videos showed people BASE jumping — parachuting from the towers.
—John Antczak, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2024
Moore spoke after video of a man parachuting from the top of one of the towers went viral Monday, prompting an urgent safety warning from Mayor Karen Bass.
Video shared on Instagram appeared to show someone paragliding from the top of the towers.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024
After leaving North Africa, Mr. Sadler was posted to an SAS training center in Scotland and then parachuted into France in 1944 after the D-Day invasion and took part in sabotage operations.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024
The actual flight capsule will parachute into the ocean south of San Diego, where a Navy recovery team will await them.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024
Evidently authenticating the footage, Mayor Karen Bass confirmed to TV station NBC4 that people were seen parachuting off the building.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
The idea is to build expertise in home countries rather than needing Americans to parachute in when problems are detected, which takes too long and smacks of colonialism.
—Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2024
Noun
The company also developed a new parachute system that meets NASA’s standards of safety.
—Passant Rabie / Gizmodo, Quartz, 23 Mar. 2024
Three passengers of a small plane that lost engine power minutes after takeoff suffered only minor injuries after the pilot deployed a parachute system that eased the plane’s crash landing.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 14 Mar. 2024
In a video obtained by CNN, an airdrop was seen going wrong when the parachute on a pallet malfunctioned.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN, 13 Mar. 2024
Our plane circled Gaza City to watch the parachutes’ trajectory.
—Taylor Luck, The Christian Science Monitor, 8 Mar. 2024
As the plane came into range of the target, a back door opened and parachutes quickly deployed and a stream of boxes drifted gently down to earth.
—Richard Engel, NBC News, 7 Mar. 2024
Lights that look like parachutes or jellyfish were hung by the staff, and the blue accents are inspired by the Vietnamese coastline.
—Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024
Around 2:20 three planes started to drop their parachutes across the beach.
—Nicholas Kristof, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024
In recent years, the Forest Service has switched from round parachutes to rectangular ones, which allow for greater maneuverability.
—ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024
Verb
Normally, this allows the balloon to float away, and the scientific equipment to parachute back to the ground, where it can be recovered.
—Geoff Brumfiel, NPR, 25 Mar. 2024
Video surfaced on social media this week showing someone appearing to parachute off the skyscrapers.
—Alicia Victoria Lozano, NBC News, 15 Feb. 2024
The next step will be to install a better fence at the project, which is drawing significant police resources and where city leaders fear someone will die, especially after social media videos showed people BASE jumping — parachuting from the towers.
—John Antczak, Fortune, 17 Feb. 2024
Moore spoke after video of a man parachuting from the top of one of the towers went viral Monday, prompting an urgent safety warning from Mayor Karen Bass.
Video shared on Instagram appeared to show someone paragliding from the top of the towers.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 14 Feb. 2024
After leaving North Africa, Mr. Sadler was posted to an SAS training center in Scotland and then parachuted into France in 1944 after the D-Day invasion and took part in sabotage operations.
—Brian Murphy, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024
The actual flight capsule will parachute into the ocean south of San Diego, where a Navy recovery team will await them.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Feb. 2024
Evidently authenticating the footage, Mayor Karen Bass confirmed to TV station NBC4 that people were seen parachuting off the building.
—Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 13 Feb. 2024
The idea is to build expertise in home countries rather than needing Americans to parachute in when problems are detected, which takes too long and smacks of colonialism.
—Karen Weintraub, USA TODAY, 1 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'parachute.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near parachute
Cite this Entry
“Parachute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parachute. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
parachute
1 of 2 noun
para·chute
ˈpar-ə-ˌshüt
1
: a folding umbrella-shaped device of light fabric used especially for making a safe jump from an aircraft
2
: something (as the bunch of hairs on a dandelion seed) that is like a parachute in form, use, or operation
parachute
2 of 2 verb
parachuted; parachuting
: to transport or come down by means of a parachute
parachutist
noun
-ˌshüt-əst
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