as in to choke
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
I was so angry at what he was saying that I could have throttled him!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of throttle
The Aerospace Corporation has been advancing a concept for a restartable solid rocket motor (RSRM), a propulsion configuration that has long posed engineering difficulties because conventional solid motors burn continuously once ignited and cannot be throttled or shut down mid-flight.
—
Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
Every braking point, apex and throttle input from his previous best was overlaid on his track view.
—Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Warsh can help by lifting the cost of credit to throttle both consumer and corporate spending, and sell bonds the Fed’s holding to target the latter.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 30 May 2026
With the war’s turbulence on the economy more prevalent and the internet now throttled, Russians no longer have the luxury of pretending the war in Ukraine isn’t happening.
—Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for throttle
Aditya Jadhav, Interesting Engineering, 1 June 2026
Every braking point, apex and throttle input from his previous best was overlaid on his track view.
—Brendan Keegan, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Warsh can help by lifting the cost of credit to throttle both consumer and corporate spending, and sell bonds the Fed’s holding to target the latter.
—Shawn Tully, Fortune, 30 May 2026
With the war’s turbulence on the economy more prevalent and the internet now throttled, Russians no longer have the luxury of pretending the war in Ukraine isn’t happening.
—Daniel Depetris, Mercury News, 23 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for throttle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throttle
Verb
-
Police say after entering the store, Tabor allegedly randomly picked out a woman and started choking her.—
Joy Benedict,
CBS News,
19 June 2026
-
Connecticut’s largest cities also struggle with the state’s highest property tax rates, which chokes business growth and, in turn, shifts more burden onto residential owners.—
Keith M. Phaneuf,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
He had been arrested for allegedly strangling his then-girlfriend, Johnny Faye Cartwright, in 2020.—
Jennifer Maas,
Variety,
10 June 2026
-
Another was strangled and left in an alley, and a third died from blunt-force trauma to the head, prosecutors said.—
Karen Kucher,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Throttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throttle. Accessed 21 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
