throttle

1 of 2

verb

throt·​tle ˈthrä-tᵊl 

throttled; throttling ˈthrä-tᵊl-iŋ 

ˈthrät-liŋ

; throttles

transitive verb

1

a(1)

: to compress the throat of : choke

(2)

: to kill by such action

b

: to prevent or check expression or activity of : suppress

policies that throttle creativity

c

US, informal : to defeat easily or completely

The Jets went to Miami and throttled the Dolphins.

—Judy Battista

2

a

: to decrease the flow of (something, such as steam or fuel to an engine) by a valve

b

: to regulate and especially to reduce the speed of (something, such as an engine) by such means

c

: to vary the thrust of (a rocket engine) during flight

3

: to limit or reduce (the bandwidth available to users of an electronic communication system, such as the Internet) : to subject to throttling (see throttling sense 2)

The company throttles data access for customers who use a lot of data during moments of network congestion …

—Matt Day

intransitive verb

: to throttle something (something, such as an engine)

—usually used with back or down

the pilot throttled back

throttler

ˈthrät-lər, 

ˈthrä-tᵊl-ər 

noun

throttler

2 of 2

noun

throt·​tler ˈthrätᵊlə(r) 

plural -s

: one that throttles

Synonyms of throttle

Verb

• choke
• strangle

Examples of throttle in a Sentence

Verb

I was so angry at what he was saying that I could have throttled him!

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

San Antonio goes as Wemby goes, so if Anunoby can throttle the 7-foot-4 guy at all, New York has a chance. —Chris Branch, New York Times, 3 June 2026

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

In my opinion, the hardest commercial decision a founder makes is to deliberately throttle growth. —Ali Aydan, 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

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English throtelen, from throte throat

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a(1)

Phrases Containing throttle

• at full throttle
• throttle back

Rhymes for throttle

• bottle
• cottle
• glottal
• mottle
• pottle
• scrotal
• wattle
• chrysotile
• nahuatl

Kids Definition

throttle

1 of 2 verb

throt·​tle ˈthrät-ᵊl 

throttled; throttling ˈthrät-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to slow or stop the breathing of : choke, strangle

2

: to reduce the speed of (an engine) by closing the throttle

throttler

-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun

throttle

2 of 2 noun

1

: a valve controlling the flow of steam or fuel to an engine

2

: a lever controlling a throttle