chute

UK: /ˈʃuːt/ US: /ʃut/ ,(sho̅o̅t)

Inflections of 'chute' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

chutes

v 3rd person singular

chuting

v pres p

chuted

v past

chuted

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

chute¹ /ʃut/   n. [countable]

1. a sloping trough or shaft for sending water, grain, etc., to a lower level:
   a mail chute; a laundry chute.
2. a waterfall or steep descent, as in a river.
3. a water slide, as at an amusement park.

chute² /ʃut/   n. [countable]

1. Aeronautics a parachute.

chut•ist, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

chute¹  (sho̅o̅t), n., v., chut•ed, chut•ing. 
n. 

1. an inclined channel, as a trough, tube, or shaft, for conveying water, grain, coal, etc., to a lower level.
2. a waterfall or steep descent, as in a river.
3. a water slide, as at an amusement park.
4. a steep slope, as for tobogganing.
5. Idioms out of the chute, at the start;
   at the very beginning:
   The new business made mistakes right out of the chute and failed within a year.

v.t. 

6. to move or deposit, by or as if by means of a chute:
   The dock had facilities for chuting grain directly into the hold of a vessel.

v.i. 

7. to descend by or as if by means of a chute.

• Vulgar Latin *cadēre, for Latin cadere; compare cadence, case¹), with vowel of Middle French chue, Old French cheue, a variant past participle; some senses influenced by shoot
• French, Middle French, representing Old French cheoite a fall, nominalized feminine past participle of cheoir to fall (
• 1715–25

chute²  (sho̅o̅t), n., v., chut•ed, chut•ing. 
n. 

1. Aeronautics a parachute.

v.i. 

2. Aeronautics to descend from the air by or as if by a parachute.

v.t. 

3. Aeronautics to drop from an aircraft by means of a parachute:
   Supplies were chuted to the snowbound mountain climbers.

• by shortening 1915–20, American.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

chute / ʃuːt/ noun

1. an inclined channel or vertical passage down which water, parcels, coal, etc, may be dropped
2. a steep slope, used as a slide as for toboggans
3. a slide into a swimming pool
4. a rapid or waterfall

Etymology: 19th Century: from Old French cheoite, feminine past participle of cheoir to fall, from Latin cadere; in some senses, a variant spelling of shoot

chute / ʃuːt/ noun , verb

1. 
   short for parachute

ˈchutist noun