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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How to analyze a poetics of irreverence and improvisation—of life experienced in a perpetual present—without stifling precisely these qualities?—
Joe Dunthorne,
The New York Review of Books,
6 June 2026 -
Indiana used a balanced offensive approach and stifling defense to bounce back and improve to 5-4.—
James Boyd,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
Verb
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There was no holding back on the project’s ambition.—
Jack Pitt-Brooke,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
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And more pressure is coming from powerful education groups because Newsom is holding back some school funds that the constitution requires to be paid.—
Dan Walters,
Mercury News,
28 May 2026
Verb
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Others at risk are those taking medication to decrease stomach acid levels, those receiving immune-suppressing therapy or anyone who had recent stomach surgery.—
Vanessa Etienne,
PEOPLE,
1 June 2026
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Identifying and naming my jealousy has done far more for me than suppressing it ever did.—
Meehika Barua,
Time,
29 May 2026
Verb
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And do your best to avoid swallowing the water.—
Abby Norman,
Verywell Health,
8 June 2026
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Johns founded the university's voice center in 2017 in order to help people experiencing issues with their voices, swallowing or airways and improve their quality of life.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
6 June 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 10 Jun. 2026.
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