CHOKING (BACK) Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

choking (back)

verb

Definition of choking (back)

present participle of choke (back)

as in stifling

to refrain from openly showing or uttering choked back a sarcastic reply to an insulting question

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for choking (back)

Verb

Many of those who died were elderly, often alone, in a stifling house or apartment.

— Scott Simon, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026
This prompted backlash from critics, who felt that the platforms were stifling free speech or putting their thumb on the scale politically.

— Max Tani, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

She is baffled by the way her friends Moe and Fumina rail against their parents, especially when Yuko is always holding back at home, forever walking on eggshells.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
The reduction in state investments and holding back promised funding to cover our faculty raises will have detrimental consequences to our institution, to us as students, and to the state’s future health care workforce.

— Opinion, Hartford Courant, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of holding back

Verb

In that sense, emotional intelligence becomes less about suppressing feelings than directing them productively.

— Rodger Dean Duncan, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
The men now rising through the security establishment have spent their careers confronting enemies abroad and suppressing dissent at home.

— Tim Lister, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

Multiple generations of families died at Jonestown—grandmothers administered the deadly concoction to their screaming grandchildren before swallowing it themselves.

— James Kirchick, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026
Its boxy fit was effortlessly slouchy without swallowing my frame, and its 100 percent cotton fabric felt thick, durable, and cool to the touch.

— Averi Baudler, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of swallowing

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.

Browse Nearby Words

choking

choking (back)

choking off

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“Choking (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choking%20%28back%29. Accessed 17 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of choking (back)

verb

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