choke

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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4

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 Ballal said a soldier, who came to their home accompanied by another soldier and a settler-herder, grabbed his brother by the neck and tried to choke him. Sam Metz, Los Angeles Times, 16 Feb. 2026 Since 1989, the water provider has recruited fishy friends to feast on the aquatic plants that would otherwise choke the canals. Sarah Henry, AZCentral.com, 14 Feb. 2026 In a third, a Guatemalan national was sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to attempting to choke officers and grabbing one by the genitals. Natasha Korecki, NBC news, 14 Feb. 2026 This determines whether Precinct 4 thrives or chokes on its own growth. Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for choke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke
Verb
  • She had been dragged down an alley to a secluded area near an apartment building and behind a fence, where she was raped and strangled, according to authorities.
    Maria Aguilar Prieto, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
  • Cuba says Trump is creating a dangerous precedent of using tariffs to strangle and starve individual nations.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • During the first couple of months, people may feel the urge to vomit, nausea in the morning and abdominal discomfort.
    Tribune News Service, Baltimore Sun, 19 Feb. 2026
  • Whichever predator was involved, Henrici notes that the regurgitalite confirms that one of these animals snacked broadly on the smaller critters around it and could vomit up indigestible material, much as modern owls and Komodo dragons do today.
    Meghan Bartels, Scientific American, 18 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • As the disconnect grows, propelled by high valuations and rising speculation in financial markets, Zandi cautioned that the real economy could be suffocated.
    Tristan Bove, Fortune, 24 Feb. 2026
  • When this happens, the thatch will suffocate and starve your lawn.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Shade cloth and wooden screens block off the outside world, though the cubs often tear them down out of perverse curiosity.
    Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 20 Feb. 2026
  • In 2024, when X was temporarily blocked there, amid a legal dispute between Elon Musk and the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court, countless fan accounts for celebrities such as Ariana Grande and Taylor Swift evaporated, many signing off with the hashtag #MeuUltimoTweet.
    Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Heavy industrial water use—such as by data centers—should be throttled through taxation to fund desalinated water for refilling depleted aquifers.
    Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
  • This effort to throttle transparency of a project that is already the subject of international derision is incomprehensible as well as offensive to the public’s right to know.
    Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.
    CA Weather Bot, Sacbee.com, 24 Feb. 2026
  • Mild-mannered ex-comptroller Brad Lander is going to court to try to shed some light on what actually goes on at 26 Federal Plaza (which his presence allegedly obstructed).
    Brendan O'Connor, Curbed, 24 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Steel jammed the puck between Daccord's pads about four minutes later, and the goal was upheld following Seattle's challenge for goaltender interference.
    CBS News, CBS News, 26 Feb. 2026
  • Steel jammed the puck between Daccord’s pads about four minutes later, and the goal was upheld following Seattle’s challenge for goaltender interference.
    ABC News, ABC News, 25 Feb. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Choke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke. Accessed 27 Feb. 2026.

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