1
as in strangling
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
let go of my throat—you're choking me!
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in vomiting
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe
the recommended procedure for helping someone who is choking
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3
as in drowning
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
thick, black smoke choked the trapped firefighters
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4
as in blocking
to prevent passage through by filling with something
overgrown bushes choked the narrow alleyway between the buildings
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of choking
Other incidents included Jalloh allegedly choking a woman, stomping on her, burning her chest and raping her in October 2018, stabbing a person inside a McDonald's in January 2023, and stabbing an elderly man in February 2023.
—
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Calicut was accused of choking Perkins and cutting her neck while stealing money and a phone from her home in 1999.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
Recalled because a mixing error resulted in small cornstarch clumps in the product, resulting in a choking hazard.
—Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
Levy brought the dog in dead and claimed that that the dog had a seizure and was vomiting, choking and twitching before his death.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for choking
Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 4 Mar. 2026
Calicut was accused of choking Perkins and cutting her neck while stealing money and a phone from her home in 1999.
—CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
Recalled because a mixing error resulted in small cornstarch clumps in the product, resulting in a choking hazard.
—Josh Kelly, Oklahoman, 27 Feb. 2026
Levy brought the dog in dead and claimed that that the dog had a seizure and was vomiting, choking and twitching before his death.
—Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 27 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for choking
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choking
Verb
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He’s charged with strangling his former chef in December.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
5 Mar. 2026
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Becky is dehydrated and delirious, but manages to nourish herself after strangling and eating a vulture that attacked her on the platform.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Two weeks later, Amalia started vomiting, then losing weight.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
1 Mar. 2026
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Two weeks later, Amalia started vomiting, then losing weight.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Following November elections, 21 individuals will undertake the daunting task of funding and running a massive school system drowning in debt and facing a highly uncertain future demanding the making of difficult decisions.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Mar. 2026
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For the most part, that’s what happened, and for the third consecutive season, a drowning defense sunk a year of Joe Burrow’s prime.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Early in the second period, just after Greaves got caught out of the net while playing a puck to his right, Provorov hustled to the other side of the net and sprawled across the ice, blocking a shot by Florida’s Tomas Nosek that would have tied the score at 1.—
Aaron Portzline,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
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Enter Brick, an app-blocking device.—
Catherine Garcia,
TheWeek,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Senate Bill 443 would increase penalties for obstructing highways or streets.—
Adam Beam,
AJC.com,
6 Mar. 2026
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Brown is charged with two counts of resisting and obstructing an officer, along with open container of alcohol in a vehicle.—
Paula Wethington,
CBS News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Such efforts would have likely included hacking military networks, jamming radar systems, disrupting satellites, and destroying communication nodes.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Mar. 2026
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If our fates were inscribed in our genetics, why would anyone bother to maintain a skin-care routine, much less go to the trouble of jamming his tongue against the top of his mouth or whacking himself with a hammer?—
Becca Rothfeld,
New Yorker,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Oil storage tanks are filling up across the region, analysts say, since exports have all but stopped due to the Iranians effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz.—
Jessie Yeung,
CNN Money,
6 Mar. 2026
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Dreamers has flat spots here and there, but its messianic clarity never has trouble filling the room.—
Brian Howe,
Pitchfork,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Choking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choking. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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