choking (back)

verb

Definition of choking (back)next
present participle of choke (back)
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)
  1. stifling
  2. holding back
  3. suppressing
  4. swallowing
Verb
  • The government has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech.
    — Clyburn Saint John, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026
  • While a label like ‘woman’ has always felt stifling and strange, ‘daughter’ doesn’t carry that heaviness.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of stifling
Verb
  • Bolsonaro argues Brazil's hefty national debt is holding back the economy and a top campaign adviser has pledged to reduce it by slashing spending along the lines of Argentina's Javier Milei.
    — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Quick wins will not fix the structural flaws holding back growth.
    — DAN RESTREPO, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of holding back
Verb
  • Lampooning authority is even common in autocratic societies where governments spend large sums of money suppressing speech.
    — Christopher von Rueden, The Conversation, 3 Oct. 2026
  • This is economic capacity currently lost to suppressing yield across the labor market.
    — Katica Roy, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppressing
Verb
  • Enzymes need direct contact with food to do anything, so swallowing one on an empty stomach delivers almost no benefit.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Seven Chicago-area residents died after swallowing Tylenol capsules laced with potassium cyanide in September 1982.
    — Rebecca Johnson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 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
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Choking (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choking%20%28back%29. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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