parachutes

6 definitions • 5 examples

a piece of equipment made of a large piece of special cloth that is fastened to a person or thing that is dropped from an aircraft, in order to make him, her, or it fall slowly and safely to the ground

to jump from an aircraft using a parachute:

The plan is to parachute into the town.

to drop someone or something from an aircraft by parachute:

[ often passive ] Thousands of leaflets were parachuted behind enemy lines.

to enter a situation without previously being involved in it, especially to offer temporary help, or to bring someone into a situation in this way :

She parachutes into hospitals that desperately need nurses and stays three months or so.

Before Hancock was parachuted in, sales had been falling consistently.

a large, usually circular piece of special cloth fastened to someone or something so that when dropped from an aircraft, it will catch the wind like a sail to make the person or thing fall slowly and safely to the ground

to send a manager, politician, etc. to a new place that they have no previous connection with:

He was parachuted into the failing corporation's headquarters in hopes that he could rescue it.