as in stifling
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 choking (back)
Verb
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Birds eat and digest the seeds, then the plant grows in dense stands and blocks sunlight from reaching other young plants, overcrowding or stifling other species.—
Sarah Everett,
The Spruce,
11 May 2026 -
Before Sunday’s game, the Charge had struggled to generate a ton of offense in general against a stifling Boston defense.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
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Plus, Superjumbo has been holding back on things like listening parties and has turned down artists that wanted to do in-store performances because of the limited space, according to Mancuso.—
R. Christian Smith,
Chicago Tribune,
1 May 2026
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Ukraine has developed cutting-edge and battle-tested drone technology that has proved essential in holding back Russia’s bigger army and has drawn military interest from around the world.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Countries like the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Belarus, Bahrain, and Pakistan round out the top five, with all of them largely suppressing tools like VPNs and secure messaging apps that could allow people to coordinate without being surveilled by national authorities.—
Alan Henry,
PC Magazine,
8 May 2026
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Contraceptive pills, hormonal IUDs, birth-control implants, and Plan B all work by suppressing ovulation.—
Andréa Becker,
The Atlantic,
3 May 2026
Verb
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Symptoms of salmonella poisoning Symptoms of salmonella poisoning usually start six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 May 2026
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The brand's Bella stretch jeans are equally suitable, designed to fit without swallowing small frames.—
Tanya Sharma,
PEOPLE,
11 May 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Choking (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choking%20%28back%29. Accessed 14 May. 2026.
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