as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
choked back a sarcastic reply to an insulting question
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke (back)
Verb
-
Watch The Incredibles films on Disney+ Luca Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are sea monsters who feel stifled in the water.—
Sydni Ellis,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025 -
Experts say this shift could stifle innovation—but here’s how young workers can still get their foot in the door.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Eight engines, four water tenders, five dozers and two hand crews have been working to suppress the fire.—
CA WILDFIRE BOT,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
This ensures lithium is deposited smoothly across the anode, effectively suppressing dendrite growth even under rapid-charging conditions.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
-
These cosmic enigmas defy our everyday understanding of space and time, swallowing light and matter and pushing the laws of physics to the extreme.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
They’re all held back by different things – pride, fear, shame – but all of them, in one way or another, are eventually set free by the truth.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
5 Sep. 2025
-
While Bernhardt praises her gifts, the French diva doesn’t hold back in her stinging criticism of the production, calling it the same old prewar Italian theater, out of touch with the times.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Choke (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke%20%28back%29. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share