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
-
That could have stifled the Dodgers’ offensive night.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
14 Oct. 2025 -
However, the Bills quarterback was stifled by a stern Falcons defense at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, throwing 15-of-26 for 180 yards with two touchdowns and two picks.—
George Ramsay,
CNN Money,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The President praised the speed with which this modest protest was suppressed.—
David Remnick,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
-
The Secret Commonwealth is the condemnation of a world where imagination—not making things up, but a way of seeing, understanding, feeling the world—is suppressed by the dual forces of cold rationality and religious fundamentalisms that breed authoritarianism.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Pointed gestures toward the lingering tension between Japan and Korea — and between those two countries and the rest of the planet — are drowned out by tiresome bickering and exaggerated gags, like a meaningful conversation swallowed into the sound of an airplane engine screaming overhead.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
15 Oct. 2025
-
But with the inability to do live shows for much of 2020-2021, and the meteoric growth of Matt Rife’s social media presence, many stand-ups swallowed their pride and bought a tripod.—
David Zucker,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Some of the plasma was held back and applied topically in a mask.—
Justin Fenner,
Robb Report,
18 Oct. 2025
-
Some, like the Rokid Glasses, come close—but they're consistently held back by technical shortcomings, clunky controls, and a lack of refinement.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
17 Oct. 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
“Choked (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choked%20%28back%29. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share