parachute

American  

[par-uh-shoot] / ˈpær əˌʃut /

noun

1. 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.

2. parachute brake.

3. Horology. a shockproofing device for the balance staff of a watch, consisting of a yielding, springlike support for the bearing at either end.

4. Informal.

   1. the aggregate of benefits, as severance pay or vacation pay, given an employee who is dismissed from a company.

   2. golden parachute.

---

verb (used with object)

parachuted, parachuting

1. to drop or land (troops, equipment, supplies, etc.) by parachute.

verb (used without object)

parachuted, parachuting

1. to descend by parachute.

parachute British  

/ ˈpærəˌʃuːt /

noun

1. 1. a device used to retard the fall of a man or package from an aircraft, consisting of a large fabric canopy connected to a harness

   2. Sometimes shortened to: chute.  ( as modifier ) See also brake parachute

      parachute troops

---

verb

1. (of troops, supplies, etc) to land or cause to land by parachute from an aircraft

2. (in an election) to bring in (a candidate, esp someone well known) from outside the constituency

Other Word Forms

• parachuter noun
• parachutic adjective
• parachutist noun

Etymology

Origin of parachute

1775–85; < French, equivalent to para- para- ² + chute fall; chute ¹

Explanation

A parachute fills with air and breaks the fall of someone falling from an airplane. If your airplane is in trouble, and you need to jump, your best friend is a parachute. That's the device people jumping from airplanes use to slow down their falls. A parachute fills up like a balloon, slowing the person down so they fall to the ground gently and safely. People who jump out of planes for fun also use parachutes. When you do this, you're parachuting. Whether for fun or because of your plane's mechanical failure, parachuting is exciting.

Example Sentences

Anyone who has jumped out of a plane with a parachute deserves respect, but to do it 36 times, that’s worthy of a salute.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

She invented a reusable, waterproof diaper cover made first from a shower curtain and later from nylon parachute cloth, into which mothers could insert a cloth diaper pad.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Cantwell logged 400 hours of combat flight experience, including missions over Iraq and Afghanistan, and he trained at length for hard parachute landings.

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

It also acquired parachute maker Pioneer Aerospace in 2023 and specialty RF filter firm Akoustis in 2025 after each of those companies filed for bankruptcy.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 2, 2026

Fortunately the vines here are strong and the spile and tube of medicine wrapped in the parachute are still secured to my belt.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

Related Words

• bounce
• bound
• dive
• drop
• fall
• hop
• plummet
• skip
• surge
• take
• top
• vault