choke

verb

ˈchōk How to pronounce choke (audio)
Definition of chokenext
1
as in to strangle
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe let go of my throat—you're choking me!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to vomit
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe the recommended procedure for helping someone who is choking

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to suffocate
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air thick, black smoke choked the trapped firefighters

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to block
to prevent passage through by filling with something overgrown bushes choked the narrow alleyway between the buildings

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of choke Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson choking in the playoffs is also quite enjoyable. — Jesse Newell, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2026 Finally, Europe needs the ability to retaliate when China or the United States threatens to choke it. — Claas Mertens, Foreign Affairs, 19 Oct. 2026 But the real culprit is his failing Iran war, which has choked supply from the Middle East. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026 And how about the Colts choking yesterday against the TITANS of all teams? — Zach Dean Outkick, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for choke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke
  1. strangle
  2. vomit
  3. suffocate
  4. block
  5. throttle
  6. obstruct
  7. jam
Verb
  • The lawsuits say Clancy strangled the three children in the basement of the family's Duxbury home during a mental health crisis exacerbated by poor medical treatment and prescription mismanagement.
    — Kristina Rex, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • He is accused of strangling and indecently assaulting a 30-year-old female co-worker, prosecutors said.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • At some point that night, Ammann vomited black fluid, Frei later testified.
    — D. T. Max, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
  • On the surface, his new album Antione’s Son is the same old same old—airy melodies, drug talk, vomiting ad-libs—but punched up by suburban ennui and in-the-weeds romantic tales that makes the music feel refreshingly personal.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of vomit
Verb
  • That uneasy feeling settles over the rest of Infinite Now like suffocating humidity.
    — Andrew Ryce, Pitchfork, 3 Nov. 2026
  • But that perfection, like outward beauty, can be suffocating.
    — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of suffocate
Verb
  • While not guaranteed, the appeal is likely to be taken back up by the same three-judge appellate panel who previously heard — and rejected — the administration’s emergency request to block state officials from counting the ballots.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Carefully placed to take full advantage of ocean views but not block them, the buildings seem not so much on the land as embedded within it.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of block
Verb
  • But shipping still remains throttled, and international actors have not yet found a way to update their deterrence playbook.
    — Dana Stroul, Foreign Affairs, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The attack came six days after Elon Musk's SpaceX throttled Ukraine's access to Starlink, which Ukraine has been using to coordinate its defenses against Russian attacks and for some of its offensive operations.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of throttle
Verb
  • Sponsored by District 3 Commissioner Nicole Massiah, the measure defines camping as using public space for private living accommodations in a manner that obstructs public access or blocks entryways and exits to public property for extended periods.
    — La'Tasha Givens, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
  • The suspect was booked into Sacramento County Main Jail on suspicion of a felony charge of making criminal threats, and misdemeanor allegations of exhibiting a deadly weapon and resisting or obstructing a peace officer.
    — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of obstruct
Verb
  • Another agent had shown him a photo of a half-dozen migrants jammed in a porta-potty to share body heat.
    — Francisco Cantú, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Matas Buzelis beat him to the punch, tearing the ball out of the air and jamming it back into the basket with a dunk.
    — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of jam

Phrases Containing choke

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choirs
choke
choke (back)
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Cite this Entry

“Choke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke. Accessed 4 Nov. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about choke

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