plural parachutes
: 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
The pilot was wearing a parachute.
The supplies were dropped by parachute.
—often used before another nouna parachute jump/drop
parachutes; parachuted; parachuting
always followed by an adverb or preposition
1
: to jump from an aircraft using a parachute
The soldiers parachuted in and quickly hid their gear.
New troops parachuted into enemy territory.
2
: to drop (someone or something) from an aircraft using a parachute
We will parachute supplies in after you arrive.
New troops were parachuted into enemy territory.
Cite this Entry
“Parachute.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/parachute. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
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