chute

1
[ shoot ]
/ ʃut /

noun

an inclined channel, as a trough, tube, or shaft, for conveying water, grain, coal, etc., to a lower level.
a waterfall or steep descent, as in a river.
a water slide, as at an amusement park.
a steep slope, as for tobogganing.

verb (used with object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

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.

verb (used without object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

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

Idioms for chute

    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.

Origin of chute

1
1715–25; < French, Middle French, representing Old French cheoite a fall, nominalized feminine past participle of cheoir to fall (< Vulgar Latin *cadēre, for Latin cadere; cf. cadence, case1), with vowel of Middle French chue, Old French cheue, a variant past participle; some senses influenced by shoot1

Definition for chute (2 of 2)

chute 2
[ shoot ]
/ ʃut /

noun

verb (used without object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

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

verb (used with object), chut·ed, chut·ing.

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

Origin of chute

2
An Americanism dating back to 1915–20; by shortening

Example sentences from the Web for chute

British Dictionary definitions for chute (1 of 2)

chute 1
/ (ʃuːt) /

noun

an inclined channel or vertical passage down which water, parcels, coal, etc, may be dropped
a steep slope, used as a slide as for toboggans
a slide into a swimming pool
a narrow passageway through which animals file for branding, spraying, etc
a rapid or waterfall

Word Origin for chute

C19: from Old French cheoite, feminine past participle of cheoir to fall, from Latin cadere; in some senses, a variant spelling of shoot

British Dictionary definitions for chute (2 of 2)

chute 2
/ (ʃuːt) /

noun, verb

informal short for parachute

Derived forms of chute

chutist, noun