throat

noun \ ˈthrōt \

|Updated on: 8 Jun 2018

Definition of throat

1 a (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

See throat defined for English-language learners

See throat defined for kids

Examples of throat in a Sentence

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 of throat from the Web

Perkins passes away from throat cancer at 65 in Tennessee, after suffering a series of strokes.

— billboard staff, Billboard, "98 Things That Happened in 1998," 1 June 2018
Its bite sits heavily instead of sharply in your throat.

— matt simon, WIRED, "The Messy, Malodorous Mystery of the Dead 60-Foot Whale," 31 May 2018
Arias was charged in the 2008 murder of her sometime lover Travis Alexander, who was found stabbed, shot and with his throat slit in the bathroom of his Mesa house.

— michael kiefer, azcentral, "Arizona Appeals Court rules against Jodi Arias' request for court secrecy," 30 May 2018
The lawyer said Carriles was diagnosed with throat cancer about five years ago.

— matt campbell, kansascity, "In memoriam through May 25: Philip Roth, Robert Indiana, Joan Wile, Clint Walker | The Kansas City Star," 25 May 2018
Unnnhh!’ clearing his throat somewhere else in the building.

— michael friedrich, The New Republic, "Spirit of the Strip Mall," 24 May 2018
The lawyer says Posada was diagnosed with throat cancer about five years ago.

— Fox News, "Militant Cuban exile Luis Posada Carriles has died," 23 May 2018
His wife, the guitarist and composer Reg Bloor, said the cause was throat cancer.

— allan kozinn, New York Times, "Glenn Branca, Composer Who Blended Genres, Loudly, Dies at 69," 15 May 2018
The last episodes of Breaking Bad had us by the throat because that show had long ago become blue-chip entertainment.

— taylor antrim, Vogue, "Is The Americans a Good Show, or a Great One? The Next 2 Weeks Will Settle the Question," 18 May 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of throat

Middle English throte, from Old English; akin to Old High German drozza throat

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

in the meaning defined at sense 1a(1)

See Words from the same year

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

throat

verb

Definition of throat

throated; throating; throats

transitive verb

1 : to utter in the throat : mutter

2 : to sing or enunciate in a throaty voice

Recent Examples of throat from the Web

The dawn chorus was productive, though, providing grasshopper sparrow, scarlet tanager, summer tanager and yellow-throated vireo, to name a few.

— taylor piephoff, charlotteobserver, "Goal for a Big Day: Count as many bird species as you can find | Charlotte Observer," 14 May 2018
The result is a crowded stage—the choreography resembles a packed aerobics class—and the biggest, richest, most full-throated sound the show's likely ever had.

— deanna isaacs, Chicago Reader, "Lyric’s Jesus Christ is, indeed, a superstar," 1 May 2018
Ryan Hartman to Nashville, Michal Kempny to Washington, Tommy Wingels to Boston—though not as full-throated as the Rangers.

— alex prewitt, SI.com, "Original Six Outsiders: Trying to Make Sense of Meaningless March Hockey," 27 Mar. 2018
What’s most memorable about the novel, however, is the unadulterated, feminist voice, rarely found so full-throated in mainstream novels.

— anita felicelli, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Girls Burn Brighter,’ by Shobha Rao," 21 Mar. 2018
Not against Houston — the Cougars still ran the ball down the Owls’ throats a number of times, finding driving lanes too easily.

— mike jensen, Philly.com, "Big Ivy League game coming up for Penn, just not must-win | City Six Observations," 20 Feb. 2018
An audience of 900 Brits sang along, full throated and word perfect.

— john lithgow, New York Times, "John Lithgow, on Barnstorming His Way to Broadway," 9 Jan. 2018
One million fans gathered on the Champs-Élysées to bid adieu to their national hero, his coffin flanked by an escort of 500 full-throated Harley-Davidsons.

— colette davidson, The Christian Science Monitor, "French rock star played on American persona," 11 Dec. 2017
Olbermann's warnings about Bush were among the most full-throated, certainly, but there was plenty of this to go around.

— aaron blake, Washington Post, "Keith Olbermann’s ‘apology’ to George W. Bush, and the bad logic behind it," 4 Nov. 2017

First Known Use of throat

circa 1611

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

THROAT Defined for English Language Learners

throat

noun

Definition of throat for English Language Learners

: the tube inside the neck that leads to the stomach and lungs
: the front part of the neck

THROAT Defined for Kids

throat

noun \ ˈthrōt \

Definition of throat for Students

1 : the passage through the neck from the mouth to the stomach and lungs

a sore throat

2 : the front part of the neck on the outside

Medical Dictionary

throat

noun \ ˈthrōt \

medical Definition of throat

1 : the part of the neck in front of the spinal column

2 : the passage through the throat to the stomach and lungs containing the pharynx and upper part of the esophagus, the larynx, and the trachea

Learn More about throat

See words that rhyme with throat Spanish Central: Translation of throat Nglish: Translation of throat for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of throat for Arabic speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about throat

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throat

Definition of throat

Examples of throat in a Sentence

Recent Examples of throat from the Web

Origin and Etymology of throat

Other Anatomy Terms

throat

Definition of throat

Recent Examples of throat from the Web

First Known Use of throat

Phrases Related to THROAT

Related Phrases

THROAT Defined for English Language Learners

throat

Definition of throat for English Language Learners

THROAT Defined for Kids

throat

Definition of throat for Students

Medical Dictionary

throat

medical Definition of throat

Learn More about throat

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