chute

[ shoot ]

/ ʃut /

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See synonyms for chute on Thesaurus.com

Definition of chute

noun

an inclined channel, as a trough, tube, or shaft, for conveying water, grain, coal, etc., to a lower level.

a waterfall or steep descent, as in a river.

a water slide, as at an amusement park.

a steep slope, as for tobogganing.

a narrow corridor or enclosure for livestock that keeps the animals moving in single file or holds an animal in a forward-facing position until released to proceed into a designated area.

verb (used with object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

to move or deposit, by or as if by means of a chute: The dock had facilities for chuting grain directly into the hold of a vessel.

verb (used without object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

to descend by or as if by means of a chute.

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Idioms about chute

out of the chute, at the start; at the very beginning: The new business made mistakes right out of the chute and failed within a year.

Origin of chute

First recorded in 1715–25; from French, Middle French, representing Old French cheoite “a fall,” noun use of feminine past participle of cheoir “to fall” (from unattested Vulgar Latin cadēre, for Latin cadere ), with vowel of Middle French chue, Old French cheue, a variant past participle; some senses influenced by shoot¹;see also cadence, case¹

Words nearby chute

churr, churrasco, churrigueresque, churro, chuse, chute, Chu Teh, chute the chute, chutist, chutney, chutzpa

Other definitions for chute (2 of 2)

chute²

[ shoot ]

/ ʃut /

noun

a parachute.

verb (used without object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

to descend from the air by or as if by a parachute.

verb (used with object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

to drop from an aircraft by means of a parachute: Supplies were chuted to the snowbound mountain climbers.

Origin of chute

An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; by shortening

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chute in a sentence

If you aren’t rappelling into 50-degree chutes or navigating knife-edge ridges, most of the terrain forgives poor mountaineering skills.
It’s Time to Embrace Ski Guiding|Marc Peruzzi|February 26, 2021|Outside Online
They utilize a rotating blade to remove snow from a surface and then propel it through a chute.
Best snow shovel: Clear your driveway fast|PopSci Commerce Team|January 19, 2021|Popular-Science
Open the window, and down the chute into a trick-or-treat bag.
Be Very Afraid: A Virtual House of Horrors|Tracy Moran|October 25, 2020|Ozy
This food processor from Hamilton Beach is set apart by its ability to accommodate larger items thanks to an extra-wide feed chute and 14-cup capacity bowl.
Powerful food processors for dicing, slicing, and kneading|PopSci Commerce Team|October 2, 2020|Popular-Science

The jump height out of the Dornier 228 airplane he and the others fling themselves out of is 3,000 feet above the ground, although smokejumpers who use an older, round-style chute do it from 1,500 feet.
How aerial firefighters battle blazes from the skies|Rob Verger|August 27, 2020|Popular-Science
Lane rose, but then he motioned to the chute, where the other cowboys were sitting astride the fences.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy|Peter Richmond|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Some get hurt in the chute, which fits the bull like a coffin.
The Death of a Rodeo Cowboy|Peter Richmond|May 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Even show ponies are not exempt from ending up in a narrowing chute that feeds the condemned in single file into the “stun box.”
Central Park’s Carriages Saved This Horse|Michael Daly|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Say what you will about the Israelis, but they are not slow out of the chute.
Kinky for Perry|Kinky Friedman|August 24, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Try throwing all of these countries all into the single factory chute of identity.
Do National Writers Still Exist?|Colum McCann|November 28, 2010|DAILY BEAST
In the first place it had been constructed to serve the purpose of a stairway and chute.
The Staircase At The Hearts Delight|Anna Katharine Green (Mrs. Charles Rohlfs)
If ya would put' em through the chute, one at a time, 'stead of pushin' 'em up in droves, I could answer better.
David Lannarck, Midget|George S. Harney
Hollister began at the bottom of the chute, as he was beginning at the bottom of his fortune, to build up again.
The Hidden Places|Bertrand W. Sinclair
It fell to a low level, but not so low that Hollister ever failed to shift his cedar bolts from chute mouth to mill.
The Hidden Places|Bertrand W. Sinclair
The bolt piles grew; they were hurled swiftly down the chute into the dwindling river, rafted to the mill.
The Hidden Places|Bertrand W. Sinclair

British Dictionary definitions for chute (1 of 2)

chute¹

/ (ʃuːt) /

noun

an inclined channel or vertical passage down which water, parcels, coal, etc, may be dropped

a steep slope, used as a slide as for toboggans

a slide into a swimming pool

a narrow passageway through which animals file for branding, spraying, etc

a rapid or waterfall

Word Origin for chute

C19: from Old French cheoite, feminine past participle of cheoir to fall, from Latin cadere; in some senses, a variant spelling of shoot

British Dictionary definitions for chute (2 of 2)

chute²

/ (ʃuːt) /

noun, verb

informal short for parachute

Derived forms of chute

chutist, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

chute

Definition of chute

Idioms about chute

Origin of chute

Words nearby chute

Other definitions for chute (2 of 2)

Origin of chute

Words related to chute

How to use chute in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chute (1 of 2)

Word Origin for chute

British Dictionary definitions for chute (2 of 2)

Derived forms of chute