chute

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈshüt 

variants or less commonly shute

1

a

: fall sense 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

chute

2 of 3

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)

shute

3 of 3

noun (2)

less common spelling of chute

1

a

: fall sense 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

Examples of chute in a Sentence

Noun (1)

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

Noun

Unlike traditional alpine or freestyle events, freeride athletes compete on natural, ungroomed mountain terrain, selecting their own lines through cliffs, chutes and other natural features. — Michelle Bruton, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

The sport has a thriving filmmaking subculture, with athletes capturing compelling footage of riders flying down steep mountain chutes and jumping off protruding rocks, all with pristine wild mountain terrain in the background. — Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 7 July 2026

Verb

The other standout feature is its grind retention, which refers to how much coffee gets caught in the burrs or chute and left behind. — Noah Kaufman, Bon Appetit Magazine, 20 Jan. 2026

From the old mail chute in the lobby to the original grand marble portrait reliefs on the ornate curving staircase, attention to historical preservation adds charm in all the public—and even not-so-public—spaces, like the basement bank safe where the original Coca-Cola recipe once resided. — Su-Jit Lin, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025

Noun

Then, Kevin’s sister slips on marbles into a laundry shute. — William Vaillancourt, Rolling Stone, 21 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

French, from Old French, from cheoir to fall, from Latin cadere — more at chance

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1884, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing chute

• out of the chute

Rhymes for chute

• boot
• bruit
• brut
• brute
• coot
• cute
• flute
• fruit
• hoot
• jute
• loot
• lute

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

: parachute entry 1 sense 1

Biographical Definition

Shute

biographical name

ˈshüt 

Nev*il ˈne-vəl  1899–1960 pseudonym of Nevil Shute Norway English aeronautical engineer and writer in Australia