throat

noun

Save Word

\ ˈthrōt

Definition of throat

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(1) : the part of the neck in front of the spinal column

(2) : the passage through the neck to the stomach and lungs

b(1) : voice

(2) : the seat of the voice

2 : something resembling the throat especially in being an entrance, a passageway, a constriction, or a narrowed part: such as

a : the orifice of a tubular organ especially of a plant

b : the opening in the vamp of a shoe at the instep

c : the part of a tennis racket that connects the head with the shaft

3 : the curved part of an anchor's arm where it joins the shank — see anchor illustration

at each other's throats

: in open and aggressive conflict

throat

verb

throated; throating; throats

Definition of throat (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to utter in the throat : mutter

2 : to sing or enunciate in a throaty voice

Examples of throat in a Sentence

Noun My throat was dry so I took a sip of water. He held a knife to her throat. His shirt was open at the throat. He grabbed her by the throat.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun And Intel has the very important feature of being a very large throat to choke if something goes wrong. — Brian Barrett, Wired, "Mobileye Puts Lidar on a Chip—and Helps Map Intel's Future," 11 Jan. 2021 Lace flower is a trooper and regularly produces charming fringed blooms, sometimes with a speckled throat. — Ellen Nibali, baltimoresun.com, "Garden Q&A: An unusual but easy houseplant and what to do about mushrooms in the driveway," 31 Dec. 2020 Those effects can include dizziness, headaches, skin and throat irritation and even unconsciousness, among other risks. — Ars Technica, "Plastic pipes are polluting drinking water systems after wildfires," 28 Dec. 2020 Surgery on his throat has left his voice quiet and wheezing. — Emily Brindley, courant.com, "Damaged nerves, scarred lungs, exhausted bodies: Some COVID-19 patients face a long haul that can last for months," 27 Dec. 2020 Faucett said males have a completely red wattle (skin on the throat), while females have a patch of violet blue on their red wattle, so the duo are easy to tell apart. — jsonline.com, "11 animal personalities you have to meet at the Milwaukee County Zoo," 23 Dec. 2020 Rose put his hand on Marrow's throat for several seconds. — Sudhin Thanawala, Star Tribune, "Officer pleads guilty in Georgia traffic stop of Black man," 28 Sep. 2020 Friday, the screens will display a countdown of the minutes a Minneapolis cop knelt on the throat of George Floyd until his breath was gone, in response to the national outcry for racial justice in America. — Phoebe Wall Howard, Detroit Free Press, "Juneteenth feels different this year for autoworker," 19 June 2020 Doctors and nurses have learned since the early days of the pandemic to, as much as possible, avoid placing patients on ventilators, which involves sticking a breathing tube down the throat. — Anchorage Daily News, "LA County hospitals running dangerously low on oxygen, supplies as ER units are overwhelmed," 26 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Delhiites are now spotting rare birds like gray hornbills and red-throated flycatchers. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: It's amazing how quickly the planet can fix itself during a lockdown," 21 Apr. 2020 Delhiites are now spotting rare birds like gray hornbills and red-throated flycatchers. — Paul Daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Doc's Morning Line: It's amazing how quickly the planet can fix itself during a lockdown," 21 Apr. 2020 Delhiites are now spotting rare birds like gray hornbills and red-throated flycatchers. — New York Times, "India Savors a Rare Upside to Coronavirus: Clean Air," 4 Apr. 2020 Where death enters white armed, white throated, Where the body drops like lightning on rain-moist ground. — Patricia Spears Jones, The New Yorker, "This Week’s Issue," 9 Mar. 2020 This week, look for white-crowned, white-throated, swamp, and Savannah sparrows. — BostonGlobe.com, "Most read on BostonGlobe.com," 20 Oct. 2019 Trump, meanwhile, has hardly been full-throated in his support for Guaidó. — Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, "Trump squeezes Venezuela’s regime, while ordinary Venezuelans go hungry," 25 Feb. 2020 But some turtles, like the Australian white-throated snapping turtle, can absorb oxygen from water through their cloaca – a backside tube that functions as a waste-excreting, breeding and egg-laying zone. — Bryan Alexander, USA TODAY, "Fact-checking Olaf's 'Frozen 2' science: Do turtles really breathe from their butts?," 27 Nov. 2019 The decision prompted a full-throated critique from two justices. — S.m. | New York, The Economist, "The justices allow Donald Trump’s asylum restrictions to take effect," 12 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'throat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.