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parachute

noun · verb

Simple meaning

A web or fold of skin extending between the legs of gliding mammals, such as the flying squirrel and colugo.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pehruhshoot

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpɛɹəʃut

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. zoology

    A web or fold of skin extending between the legs of gliding mammals, such as the flying squirrel and colugo.

  2. aviation

    A device, generally constructed from fabric, that is designed to employ air resistance to control the fall of an object or person, causing them to float instead of falling.

  3. A large sheet of fabric used in children's physical education, often colorful, with handles allowing many people to control its motion.

  4. Any of various mushrooms with broad, domed caps.

verb

  1. intransitive

    To jump, fall, descend, etc. using such a device.

  2. transitive

    To introduce into a place using such a device.

  3. transitive

    To place (somebody) in an organisation in a position of authority without their having previous experience there; used with in or into.

  4. Jump from an airplane and descend with a parachute

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced (estimated)
Frequency
Uncommon
Formality
Technical

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Device / large

parachute drop

Town

parachute regimentparachute brigade

Other combinations

parachute infantryparachute troopsparachute divisionparachute battalionfirst parachute

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • parachute jumpernounCompound term

    A person who jumps from aircraft using a parachute.

  • drogue parachutenounCompound term

    A small parachute that pulls the main parachute from its storage pack.

  • golden parachutenounCompound term

    Giving top executives lucrative benefits that must be paid by the acquirer if they are discharged after a takeover.

More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: to jump or fall or descend

chuteInformal

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.