paratrooper
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of paratrooper
Explanation
Paratrooper are soldiers who drop from airplanes via parachutes. A paratrooper isn't anything like a paralegal or paramedic. Rather, a paratrooper is a trooper (soldier) who uses a parachute. Paratroopers drop from airplanes into combat zones and other areas. Paratroopers might bring supplies to an area, or they could be part of an attack on somewhere, such as a terrorist hideout. If you want to be a paratrooper, you'd better be comfortable flying on planes and then jumping out of them. You'd also better hope your parachute opens.
Vocabulary lists containing paratrooper
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
As he finished helping a fellow trainee gear up, one paratrooper wished another good luck with a firm handshake.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The paratrooper, outfitted with a cheap plastic chute, never lived up to his promise, even if deployed from the second floor of a school classroom.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026
A paratrooper, he was one of only 27 members of his 150-strong unit to survive the war and was captured by allied forces in May 1945.
From BBC ● Mar. 11, 2026
The roots of Venezuela’s current system go back to the 14-year rule of former President Hugo Chávez, a former paratrooper elected in 1998 after almost two decades of deepening wealth inequality and stagnant living standards.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 23, 2026
Oshiro wanted to be a paratrooper like his brother Robert.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
