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

At the defense table that day, Broadwater, wearing a gray pinstripe suit, choked back sobs and hugged his lawyers. — Joaquin Sapien, ProPublica, 30 June 2026

The 22-year-old Wembanyama was emotional, bursting into tears as the final horn blew and again choking back emotions after being named the Most Valuable Player of the WCF. — Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 31 May 2026

In the meantime, the support system has been overwhelming, as Garcia described while choking back tears. — Trey Wallace Outkick, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2026

Peyton Manning choked back tears prior to kickoff while describing his friendship with DT. — Troy Renck, Denver Post, 20 Oct. 2025

Rhymes for choke back

• almanac
• camelback
• cardiac
• carryback
• cluniac
• diamondback
• lumberjack
• maniac
• paperback
• piggyback
• quarterback
• saddleback