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parachutes

  • plural
    of parachute.
    parachute
    noun
    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.
  • present tense form
    of parachute (3rd person singular).
    parachute
    noun
    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.

Example Sentences

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Former Montana smokejumper — a firefighter who parachutes into rural terrain to contain wildfires — Sam Forstag is also hoping to go to D.C. as the state’s first Democratic member of Congress in 30 years.

From Salon Jul. 9, 2026

During World War II, the DuPont company turned its scientific and manufacturing capacity to national service, producing munitions, nylon parachutes, Lucite airplane turrets, and many other products for the war effort.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 26, 2026

All three landed under good parachutes but two people collided with each other during the freefall.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 2, 2026

With the capsule descending beneath huge parachutes to gently splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, the astronauts were back on Earth.

From BBC Apr. 11, 2026

One hundred thousand wizards gasped as the two Seekers, Krum and Lynch, plummeted through the center of the Chasers, so fast that it looked as though they had just jumped from airplanes without parachutes.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling