: 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
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. See More
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Patel said Crooks did not have a parachute on when his body was recovered. Anna Lazarus Caplan, Peoplemag, 3 Aug. 2022 Patel said Crooks did not have a parachute on when his body was recovered just before 7 p.m., reported CNN. Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, 1 Aug. 2022 Another video shows a parachute deploying behind the truck right before the crash. Dakin Andone, CNN, 3 July 2022 Lamar woke up with a broken arm and his parachute hanging from a tree. Paul Best, Fox News, 1 Aug. 2022 The aircraft was described as the man’s personal device and a class three ultralight vehicle with a parachute attached to a seat with a propeller, according to Butterfield. Grace Gilson, BostonGlobe.com, 3 Aug. 2022 The parachute and backshell detached from the rover at an altitude of 1.3 miles.New York Times, 27 Apr. 2022 Coleman, who wasn’t strapped in, was leaning out over the side, scouting a landing location for a parachute jump planned for later that day. David Kindy, Smithsonian Magazine, 21 Jan. 2022 There’s one drill where the wind is pulling the parachute and pulling you across the water. Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 30 May 2022
Verb
The lunatics jump out of planes and parachute down to a pond like Navy SEALS. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 11 July 2022 They're slated to parachute to a splashdown landing aboard their spacecraft Wednesday morning, according to NASA, if weather conditions allow. Jackie Wattles, CNN, 19 Apr. 2022 People jump out of perfectly good airplanes, parachute at high speeds down to a pond and then dance across the water for style points. Joseph Goodman | Jgoodman@al.com, al, 6 July 2022 Former diplomats say the effort was part of a troubling pattern where American officials parachute into complex situations equipped with little more than talking points. Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 May 2022 Transition coaches parachute into the post-layoff void—a place where no one else ventures—and help individuals move forward. Darren Kimball, Forbes, 21 June 2022 In the game, up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-take-all showdown. Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 May 2022 But one of the planes spiraled out of control and crashed in Eloy, Arizona, leading to only Aikins’ getting in the other craft while Farrington was forced to parachute. Jay Blackman, NBC News, 12 May 2022 The 48-year-old man was attempting to parachute from the 23-story Palisade UTC luxury apartment complex, near the UTC mall, police said.NBC News, 25 Mar. 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
borrowed from French, from para- (as in parasolparasol) + chute "fall" — more at chute