drogue

American  

[drohg] / droʊg /

noun

1. a bucket or canvas bag used as a sea anchor.

2. Aeronautics.

   1. a funnel-shaped device attached to the end of a hose on a tanker aircraft for connecting with the probe of another aircraft to be refueled in flight.

   2. drogue parachute.

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drogue British  

/ drəʊɡ /

noun

1. any funnel-like device, esp one of canvas, used as a sea anchor

2. 1. a small parachute released behind a jet aircraft to reduce its landing speed

   2. a small parachute released before a heavier main parachute during the landing of a spacecraft

3. a device towed behind an aircraft as a target for firing practice

4. a funnel-shaped device on the end of the refuelling hose of a tanker aircraft, to assist stability and the location of the probe of the receiving aircraft

5. another name for windsock

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Etymology

Origin of drogue

1715–25; earlier drug, common dialectal variant of drag

Example Sentences

We can lose one forward bay cover parachute, one drogue, one pilot and one main parachute, and the astronauts will still have a safe landing.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Next up were the drogue and main onboard parachutes, that latter of which deployed when the capsule was 5,300 feet above the Pacific Ocean, slowing its speed to a mere 20 miles an hour.

From Scientific American • Dec. 11, 2022

At the end of the tube is a measurement device called a drogue that extends out as the reel unwinds and collects airspeed, pressure and temperature data from the air behind the jet.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 18, 2022

At that point, a small parachute called the drogue deployed, adding additional drag.

From New York Times • May 2, 2022

It was time for our two small drogue parachutes to open, to slow us down enough, and to hold us steady enough, to release our three main parachutes.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins