as in stifled
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 choked (back)
Verb
-
In response, Varsity and USASF have argued that the Open Championship’s own growth, both in terms of participant numbers and event revenue, undermines the notion that the defendants illegally stifled competition.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2026 -
The Angels’ offense was stifled in a 10-inning, 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners during their home opener Friday night in front of 44,931 fans at Angel Stadium.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, the ruthless King Saran (Oscar nominee Chiwetel Ejiofor) has suppressed magic users and enacts a rule of terror, which Zelie hopes to end in order to reunite Orisha’s clans.—
Jordan Moreau,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
-
The Maduro regime, having stolen the July 2024 presidential election and suppressed the democratic opposition by force, triggered a new wave of international sanctions that choked off oil revenues and sent the bolívar into free fall.—
Steve H. Hanke,
Fortune,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Members of his cabinet swallowed their apprehension, ceding to their boss’s confidence, the Times reported.—
Eva Roytburg,
Fortune,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The latter was accompanied by the most striking choreography of the night, as a mass of humans encircled and swallowed Reznor at the end of the song, inviting him to join them in their amorphous horde.—
Jeff Miller,
Rolling Stone,
12 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Until this week, Newsom had held back from responding to Bianco’s controversial investigation into voter fraud, in which the Sheriff’s Department seized thousands of ballots in Riverside County.—
Taryn Luna,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
The original law included a third-grade retention policy that granted several broad exemptions, including allowing parents to opt their children out of being held back.—
Rachel Canter,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
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
“Choked (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choked%20%28back%29. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
