1
as in strangles
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
let go of my throat—you're choking me!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in smothers
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
thick, black smoke choked the trapped firefighters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in blocks
to prevent passage through by filling with something
overgrown bushes choked the narrow alleyway between the buildings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of chokes
Hybrid-resilient architecture—local backups that can kick in like muscle memory when the cloud chokes.
—
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
On the ground, there’s a war of grappling, chokes, and limb breaks, and Oliveira is one of the best to ever fight it.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2025
Broken baggage chokes landfills and decomposes at a glacial pace.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Again, Dylan absolutely chokes.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 Nov. 2024
There’s a moment in the second film that really chokes me up.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 19 Oct. 2024
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
On the ground, there’s a war of grappling, chokes, and limb breaks, and Oliveira is one of the best to ever fight it.
—Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 14 Jan. 2025
Broken baggage chokes landfills and decomposes at a glacial pace.
—Christopher Elliott, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
Again, Dylan absolutely chokes.
—Brian Moylan, Vulture, 29 Nov. 2024
There’s a moment in the second film that really chokes me up.
—Jenelle Riley, Variety, 19 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for chokes
Verb
-
What worked at ten employees strangles progress at one hundred.—
Brent Gleeson,
Forbes.com,
13 Sep. 2025
-
At that point, both Hsiao-Lee’s life and our perspective open up toward something more hopeful, even if plenty of turmoil — including another unbearable scene in which Chiang nearly strangles Chuan to death — continues back home.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The first crazy thing that happens to the movie Smurls is when a kitchen chandelier almost falls on them, though the most visceral is when oldest sister Dawn Smurl (Beau Gadsdon) suddenly vomits up pieces of glass, leaving the sink and her face a bloody mess.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But in the late 1970s, researchers began to learn that the drugs helped flood the brain with gamma-aminobutyric acid, or GABA, which in essence blocks your nervous system from receiving too many activation signals.—
P.E. Moskowitz
September 11,
Literary Hub,
11 Sep. 2025
-
The anti-blue lens blocks 90% of blue light and protects your eyes from electronics and everyday life.—
Jacquelyn Smith,
Parents,
11 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Don't tail large vehicles closely - Trucks or buses can kick up a water spray that obstructs visibility.—
NC Weather Bot,
Charlotte Observer,
16 Sep. 2025
-
According to California’s Civil Code, anything that obstructs the free use of property and interferes with someone’s life or property is a nuisance.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Someone breaks in, someone jams the signal from the home’s alarm system, someone monitors police radio traffic.—
Bebe Hodges,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
24 Aug. 2025
-
After Dex takes her down, Weyland recovers her brain and jams it into a supercomputer.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
4 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Boiled down in a cauldron using traditional methods, the sulfate-free formula bubbles up into a lovely lather that washes hands without stripping them (the glycerin, as well as coconut, olive, and sweet almond oils, are to thank) and fills the room with its sophisticated, Provençal scents.—
Sophia Panych,
Allure,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Kogonada fills the film with saturated colors, favoring the primary standbys of fire-engine red, raincoat yellow and mailbox blue.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Chokes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/chokes. Accessed 18 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share