throttling

noun

throt·​tling ˈthrä-tᵊl-iŋ 

ˈthrät-liŋ

plural throttlings

1

: the act or an instance of throttling something or someone: such as

a

: the suppression or prevention of an activity

… maintains that the dramatic relaxation of credit restrictions proposed by the Central Bank will inevitably result in hyperinflation, the throttling of economic reforms and the collapse of Western confidence in the Russian economy.

—Michael Dobbs

b

US, informal : a decisive defeat : rout

You missed an impressive, imposing 40-13 victory over Memphis … and a 61-17 throttling of FIU in the season opener.

—The Orlando Sentinel

2

: the activity or process of limiting the bandwidth available to users of an electronic communication systems (such as the Internet)

Slowing down data speeds after a customer reaches its monthly data limit is a common practice among internet service providers and cellular carriers that's known as throttling. Users can still access the cellular network for basic services like email or web browsing, but speeds are often too slow for activities like video streaming.

—Ryan Suppe

Examples of throttling in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This disparity suggests possible power or thermal throttling. —PC Magazine, 16 Oct. 2025

Currently unranked, the Bulls are fresh off a 63-14 throttling of South Carolina State, scoring five touchdowns in a decisive third quarter. —Kilty Cleary, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025

Illinois responded from a throttling at Indiana with a last-second home win against USC. —Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025

Coming off a 63-10 throttling by Indiana, the Fighting Illini put forth a spirited performance and tallied 502 yards against the Trojans (4-1, 2-1), who totaled 490 of their own. —Haley Sawyer, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for throttling

• bottling
• mottling