choke back
verb
choked back; choking back; chokes back
: to have difficulty not showing or expressing (tears, rage, anger, etc.)
He was choking back tears as he talked about his late wife.
She struggled to choke back her anger as she listened to their criticisms.
Examples of choke back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Peyton Manning choked back tears prior to kickoff while describing his friendship with DT.
—
Troy Renck, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
During closing arguments last week, Agnifilo choked back tears and accused the government of unfairly targeting Combs in a broad overreach of power.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
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Troy Renck, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025
During closing arguments last week, Agnifilo choked back tears and accused the government of unfairly targeting Combs in a broad overreach of power.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Choke back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choke%20back. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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