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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke (back)

Verb

Shipping has been stifled in the Strait of Hormuz, through which about 20% of the world's oil supply flowed prior to the war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 4 Sep. 2026
In Foam, Zambreno has further figured out how to express love for art amidst the often-stifling pressures of daily life as a perpetual adjunct, parent, and renter with no financial safety net.

— Catherine G. Wagley, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Definition of stifle

Verb

The superconductivity weakened with the screening and was eventually completely suppressed.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 5 Sep. 2026
The prairies’ clayey soils and other characteristics suppress tree growth, but allow native grasses, wildflowers and other herbaceous plants to thrive.

— Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Definition of suppress

Verb

Gap’s barrel jeans provide that feature without swallowing my short frame, as some wide-legs jeans do.

— Rylee Johnston, PEOPLE, 9 Sep. 2026
Days of intense waves fueled by Hurricane Marie far away in the Pacific left several sections of the boardwalk destroyed after massive swells swallowed protective sand berms and slammed through the seawall.

— Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of swallow

Verb

Don’t hesitate to hold back final details until the date is near, or to occasionally change your routines.

— Richard Priem, Sun Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026
The abundance critique is that there are abundant opportunities to grow being held back by excessive regulation, planning and conditions of the sort mentioned above, which can create inertia in the system.

— Mariana Mazzucato, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of hold back

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.

Browse Nearby Words

choke

choke (back)

choked

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Choke (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke%20%28back%29. Accessed 13 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of choke (back)

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

shofar

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Popular in Wordplay

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Popular

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Games & Quizzes