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.
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
Elements of a US paratrooper division are also reportedly on their way.
From BBC ● Mar. 27, 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
You are responsible for maintaining your space suit in the same way that a paratrooper is responsible for packing and maintaining his own parachute.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
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.
