chute

noun

1. 1

   A framework, trough, or tube, upon or through which objects are made to slide from a higher to a lower level, or through which water passes to a wheel.

   On reaching the slip, the barrow was wheeled off the truck onto a scaffolding gantry built out over the wall, and the concrete tipped down a corrugated iron chute on to a steel plate.

2. 2

   A waterfall or rapid.

3. 3

   A pen or passageway to constrain the movement of an animal, such as livestock being loaded for transport; the pen in which an animal is confined before being released in a rodeo.

4. 4

   An extension to a straightway on either the home stretch or the backstretch, to avoid having a turn at the start of the race.

noun

1. 1

   informalA parachute.

   Yet the initial IMF rescue plan was far from the parachute which it professed to be – the chute did open briefly but only for it to "Roman candle", the hapless victim left to plummet to earth with a sickening thud.

   At first, Cyclops's chute began to Roman candle , but in another moment, it popped.

   On the second operation the 1,000 mortar bombs were parachuted into the LZ on 125 chutes; all were on target but two roman candled which sent everyone diving for cover and necessitated the change of some knickers.

2. 2

   slangA spinnaker.

verb

1. 1

   informalTo parachute.

Forms

plural

chutes

past tense

chuted

past participle

chuted

present participle

chuting

third person singular

chutes