choke (back)

verb

Definition of choke (back)next
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)
  1. stifle
  2. suppress
  3. swallow
  4. hold back
Verb
  • Cubans strolled along el Paseo del Prado promenade in the inky night, desperate to escape the stifling heat of their homes.
    — Romina Ruiz-Goiriena, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • The outages come as some areas are expected to experience severe weather and stifling heat again on Saturday.
    — Jon Haworth, ABC News, 5 July 2026
Definition of stifle
Verb
  • Despite not caring what happens to Eli James, Charles leads the town in trying to suppress the fire.
    — Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 11 July 2026
  • While accountability matters, that environment can unintentionally suppress creativity, innovation, and professional autonomy.
    — Tiffany Thenor, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • Symptoms of infant botulism include constipation, a floppy neck and trouble swallowing, the CDC says.
    — Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 8 July 2026
  • In a darkly comedic twist, Beadie changes her mind after swallowing a lethal dose, and Jessa frantically calls the paramedics to save her life.
    — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 7 July 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • But that's not the only thing holding back first-time buyers.
    — Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • According to the 2025 State of Document Workflows and Compliance Risk Report, 31% of executives holding back on fully automating documentation cited fear of losing manual oversight or approval control as a major factor.
    — Brian Stimpfl, Forbes.com, 7 July 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
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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 15 Jul. 2026.

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