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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 The friends told investigators that Nunnally grew angry and jealous multiple times that night, at one point choking Evans against the wall until the two friends pulled him off her. — Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026 He was also charged with assaulting a police officer who responded after witnesses allegedly saw Bryant choking his wife. — Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026 The ruling may also be choking local businesses that rely on Haitian customers, like Golden Blue Bar & Restaurant, a Haitian eatery on Flatbush Ave. — Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 1 Aug. 2026 That allowed Raquel Rodriguez to choke slam Sky off the top rope. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 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
  • This has strangled Iran’s cashflow and closed the strait to Iranian maritime trade.
    — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In May, an 18-year-old freshman reported she was raped and strangled after meeting a man at a fraternity party before returning to her dorm at Tropicana Gardens in Isla Vista.
    — Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • When his parents brought him to an emergency room, his symptoms were vomiting, fatigue, lethargy, and weakness.
    — Beth Mole, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Allegedly, so many cinema-goers vomited and fainted during the initial screenings of William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973) that theatre staff had to hand out smelling salts.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of vomit
Verb
  • Not all avalanche victims die by asphyxiation — injuries from getting hit by a wall of snow or being swept through trees and rocks can kill people even if they’re not buried or suffocated.
    — Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In a Miami courtroom on Friday morning, a man admitted to suffocating his estranged wife and her two young daughters with a plastic bag nearly 14 years ago.
    — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of suffocate
Verb
  • Then, use the cotton balls to block areas where vermin may try to enter.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The Kennedy Center's board is expected to meet Thursday to consider plans for the performing arts venue's future after a federal judge blocked an earlier move for a two-year closure that would allow for substantial renovations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of block
Verb
  • And now, a quarter century later, the actress and animal rights activist throttled the internet once more by launching an OnlyFans in April, raking in millions during her first few months on the platform.
    — Marlow Stern, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026
  • In addition to simulating the dispersal of defense production, Taiwan is throttling the island’s mobile network to show civilians what happens when internet services are disabled.
    — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of throttle
Verb
  • All are one-party systems designed to obstruct political competition, and all have varying degrees of state interference in the marketplace.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
  • That was followed by Foster City police stating Thursday that a person has been booked on suspicion of causing a fire that injured firefighters, and obstructing police and fire investigators probing the blaze.
    — Robert Salonga, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of obstruct
Verb
  • At that point, onboard autonomy takes over, making control link jamming largely irrelevant, Azhnyuk said.
    — David Kirichenko, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The shooting suspect then returned to the payment window, and fired again through it at employees who were trying to render aid to Garibay, until his handgun jammed, the video showed.
    — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 7 Aug. 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 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on choke

Nglish: Translation of choke for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about choke

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