CHOKE (BACK) Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

choke (back)

verb

Definition of choke (back)

as in to stifle

to refrain from openly showing or uttering choked back a sarcastic reply to an insulting question

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke (back)

Verb

Youri Tielemans and Santos, United’s new midfield partnership, were hooked on 67 minutes, showing the extent to which Hull had stifled them.

— Liam Tharme, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2026
Opponents, however, view this as unnecessary governmental overreach that could stifle rapid AI advancement.

— Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of stifle

Verb

That combination, just like QIH, suppressed neuronal firing and stripped out a comparable share of synapses, but the mice came out of it with impaired fear memory.

— Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 22 Aug. 2026
Factors that put people at a higher risk of severe infection include being older than 60, diabetes, high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease and being on immune system suppressing medication.

— Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of suppress

Verb

When platforms extract money from those with the least to lose, the immediate tax windfall for the state is swallowed by the long-term public burden.

— Brianne Doura-Schawohl, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026
Those include numbness and tingling around the mouth and fingertips, trouble walking, talking or swallowing, sometimes weakness in the upper or lower extremity, balance issues or struggles with episodic memory.

— Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of swallow

Verb

Early results from some Central Arkansas school districts suggest that most third graders who didn't pass the ATLAS received an exemption and were promoted anyway, though districts still may be holding back more students than in previous years.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 19 Aug. 2026
The new on-pitch laws… There was confusion at Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium in the first round of the Carabao Cup, when substitute Fin Cartwright was held back from entering the pitch straight away.

— George Edwards, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of hold back

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choke

choke (back)

choked

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“Choke (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke%20%28back%29. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of choke (back)

verb

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