as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
choked back a sarcastic reply to an insulting question
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke (back)
Verb
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That influx of Chinese imports could be making its way to American shores—and, in the process, stifling the growth of local industry in the African markets.—
Kate Nishimura,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Feb. 2026 -
Without these oversight measures, the public’s ability to give its input was stifled, the lawsuit alleges.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.—
Shahrnush Parsipur,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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What is striking is not what has been abolished but what has been absorbed, suppressed, or quietly overridden.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
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For any deal to be signed into law, however, will require a give-and-take that Democrats might find difficult to swallow.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
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Among the untold thousands of children nationwide who have been swallowed up in ICE dragnets, six of them are students in the Columbia Heights school district.—
Jessica Winter,
New Yorker,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Though Arenas’ performance was enough to hold back a late Hoosiers push, led by guard Lamar Wilkerson who scored a game-high 33 points, the Trojans lost one of their top scorers for an unknown amount of time.—
Sean Campbell,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
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While the majority of Super Bowl advertisers release their ad early to try to capitalize on buzz, some hold back until game day to reveal their ad.—
Mae Anderson,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Choke (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke%20%28back%29. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
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