chute

noun
\ ˈshüt How to pronounce chute (audio) \
variants: or less commonly

Definition of chute

 (Entry 1 of 2)

b : a quick descent (as in a river) : rapid
2 : an inclined plane, sloping channel, or passage down or through which things may pass : slide
3 : parachute
4 : spinnaker

chute

verb
chuted; chuting

Definition of chute (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to convey by a chute

intransitive verb

1 : to go in or as if in a chute
2 : to utilize a chute (as by passing ore down it)

Examples of chute in a Sentence

Noun

She dropped the towels into the laundry chute. children sliding down a water chute The skiers came racing down the chute.
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Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

And a 6-10 nickname, right out of the chute: Dream Killer. Sean Keeler, The Denver Post, "How Malik Reed, the Broncos’ Dream Killer, became a QB’s worst nightmare," 30 Aug. 2019 In a video that went viral over the weekend, a man in a bright-yellow rubber suit, standing chest-deep in the Columbia River, in Washington State, grabs a hefty salmon from the water and loads the fish into a chute. Rachel Riederer, The New Yorker, "The Nihilistic Euphoria of the Fish Tube," 15 Aug. 2019 The Brewers pressured Minnesota right-hander Kyle Gibson right out of the chute as well with a first-inning RBI single from Keston Hiura and an RBI single from Eric Thames in the third that pulled them to within 3-2. Todd Rosiak, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Brewers 6, Twins 5: Trent Grisham's homer in the eighth decides it," 14 Aug. 2019 After avalanches, large clearings or missing chutes of trees provide clues to an avalanche’s trajectory. National Geographic, "Avalanches, explained," 19 July 2019 Many of the dead would be found piled up on both sides of the chute nearest the east end of the tent. Steven Goode, courant.com, "Hartford Fire Department to observe 75th anniversary of the Hartford Circus Fire," 25 June 2019 Right out of the chute, the trail delivers a rich palette of sights and sounds plus enough challenge (or not) to satisfy a full gamut of hiking styles. Mare Czinar, azcentral, "Forest hike near Payson leads to a shady tangle of springs," 26 July 2019 Officials said the fire originated in the trash chute on the first floor and traveled upward, causing heavy smoke to pour into the hallways on the top floors, Philadelphia's WPVI-TV reported. Fox News, "SEE IT: Philadelphia man escapes fire by scaling at least 14 stories down side of high-rise," 19 July 2019 The robots make their way to the chute for the destination city among scores of openings and drop the packages in. The Economist, "DistributionAmazon and Alibaba are pacesetters of the next supply-chain revolution," 12 July 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

The animal chutes blocked the escape as the oil and wax that had been used to waterproof the tent caught fire and turned the big top into a raging inferno. Steven Goode, courant.com, "His mother died saving his life during the Hartford Circus Fire, but Jerry LeVasseur turned a catastrophe into a lifetime of opportunity," 6 July 2019 The clouds of jumpers, with round ‘chutes akin to those used by D-Day soldiers, were honoring the thousands of paratroopers who leapt into gunfire and death 75 years ago. Washington Post, "‘Woo-hoo!’ At 97, D-Day veteran parachutes into Normandy," 6 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'chute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of chute

Noun

1805, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1884, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

History and Etymology for chute

Noun

French, from Old French, from cheoir to fall, from Latin cadere — more at chance

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More Definitions for chute

chute

noun

English Language Learners Definition of chute

: a narrow tube or passage that things and people go down or through

chute

noun
\ ˈshüt\

Kids Definition of chute

1 : a tube or passage down or through which people slide or things are slid or dropped a laundry chute Children slid down the chute.

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