parachute

/ˈpɛrəˌʃut/

/ˈpærəʃut/

Other forms: parachutes; parachuted; parachuting

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.

Definitions of parachute

1. noun

   a cloth canopy used to slow the descent of a person or thing attached to it as they fall through the air
   synonyms: chute

   types:

   drogue, drogue chute, drogue parachute

   a parachute used to decelerate an object that is moving rapidly

   drogue parachute

   a small parachute that pulls the main parachute from its storage pack

   parasail

   parachute that will lift a person up into the air when it is towed by a motorboat or a car

   type of:

   rescue equipment

   equipment used to rescue passengers in case of emergency
2. verb

   jump from an aircraft or high place using a cloth canopy to create air resistance and slow the fall
   synonyms: chute, jump

   types:

   sky dive, skydive

   jump from an airplane and perform various maneuvers before opening one's parachute

   type of:

   dive, plunge, plunk

   drop steeply
3. verb

   drop personnel, equipment, or supplies from an aircraft, using a cloth canopy apparatus to slow their descent to the ground