parachute

American  

[par-uh-shoot] / ˈpær əˌʃut /

noun

1. a folding, umbrellalike, fabric device with cords supporting a harness or straps for allowing a person, object, package, etc., to float down safely through the air from a great height, especially from an aircraft, rendered effective by the resistance of the air that expands it during the descent and reduces the velocity of its fall.

2. parachute brake.

3. Horology. a shockproofing device for the balance staff of a watch, consisting of a yielding, springlike support for the bearing at either end.

4. Informal.

   1. the aggregate of benefits, as severance pay or vacation pay, given an employee who is dismissed from a company.

   2. golden parachute.

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verb (used with object)

parachuted, parachuting

1. to drop or land (troops, equipment, supplies, etc.) by parachute.

verb (used without object)

parachuted, parachuting

1. to descend by parachute.

parachute British  

/ ˈpærəˌʃuːt /

noun

1. 1. a device used to retard the fall of a man or package from an aircraft, consisting of a large fabric canopy connected to a harness

   2. Sometimes shortened to: chute.  ( as modifier ) See also brake parachute

      parachute troops

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verb

1. (of troops, supplies, etc) to land or cause to land by parachute from an aircraft

2. (in an election) to bring in (a candidate, esp someone well known) from outside the constituency

Other Word Forms

• parachuter
  noun
• parachutic
  adjective
• parachutist
  noun

Etymology

Origin of parachute

1775–85; < French, equivalent to para- para- ² + chute fall; see chute ¹

Explanation

A parachute fills with air and breaks the fall of someone falling from an airplane. If your airplane is in trouble, and you need to jump, your best friend is a parachute. That's the device people jumping from airplanes use to slow down their falls. A parachute fills up like a balloon, slowing the person down so they fall to the ground gently and safely. People who jump out of planes for fun also use parachutes. When you do this, you're parachuting. Whether for fun or because of your plane's mechanical failure, parachuting is exciting.

Example Sentences

Soldier F is a former British soldier who served with the Army's Parachute Regiment in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

From BBC • Sep. 24, 2025

Parachute drops of aid resumed after the Americans said Israel had to allow in more food and relief supplies.

From BBC • Oct. 17, 2024

In Parachute, I finally stopped to pick a sunflower and put it in a plastic cup filled with water from McDonald’s.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 16, 2024

In 1970 he transferred to the Parachute Regiment, serving in Northern Ireland at the height of the Troubles.

From BBC • Oct. 15, 2024

“I guess a Parachute Riggers’ school has to have sewing machines.”

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Related Words

• bounce
• bound
• dive
• drop
• fall
• hop
• plummet
• skip
• surge
• take
• top
• vault