1
2
a
: a cylindrical or funnel-shaped device towed as a target by an airplane
b
: a small parachute for stabilizing or decelerating something (such as an astronaut's capsule) or for pulling a larger parachute out of stowage
3
: a funnel-shaped device which is attached to the end of a long flexible hose suspended from a tanker airplane in flight and into which the probe of another airplane is fitted so as to receive fuel from the tanker
Examples of drogue in a Sentence
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Two 23-foot-wide drogue chutes then will unfurl and inflate at around 24,000 feet to stabilize the capsule followed by three pilot chutes that will pull out Orion's three 116-foot-wide main parachutes.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Having survived the char of the most unforgiving layers of Earth's upper atmosphere, the spacecraft's drogue parachutes deployed to stabilize its plummet.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 July 2025
The first two drogue chutes, also called drag chutes, are designed for high speeds and were deployed at approximately 18,000 feet while the craft traveled at nearly 350 miles per hour.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2025
On decent, a pair of drogue chutes are deployed to slow the craft, followed by three main chutes.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 5 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for drogue
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William Harwood, CBS News, 30 Mar. 2026
Having survived the char of the most unforgiving layers of Earth's upper atmosphere, the spacecraft's drogue parachutes deployed to stabilize its plummet.
—Josh Dinner, Space.com, 15 July 2025
The first two drogue chutes, also called drag chutes, are designed for high speeds and were deployed at approximately 18,000 feet while the craft traveled at nearly 350 miles per hour.
—Kevin Shalvey, ABC News, 18 Mar. 2025
On decent, a pair of drogue chutes are deployed to slow the craft, followed by three main chutes.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA TODAY, 5 June 2024
See All Example Sentences for drogue
Cite this Entry
“Drogue.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drogue. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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drogue
noun
: a parachute for slowing down or stabilizing something (as an astronaut's capsule) or for pulling out a larger parachute
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