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

Trailing 10-3 at halftime, Clemson used a stifling defense to set up three third quarter scores — two coming on Nolan Hauser field goals and another on Reynolds' go-ahead touchdown run off a quarterback draw.

— ABC News, ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026
The midday heat is stifling, even more so for Eilyn Solano, who has been sheltering in a tent for over 100 days.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

Some investors are holding back until next year’s potentially tight presidential election, worried that if Milei loses, the next government could unravel his free-market reforms.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
Africa remains the continent with the largest electricity access gap, holding back economic growth and industrial development.

— Ruben Nyanguila, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2026

Definition of holding back

Verb

The regime remains capable of suppressing any organized resistance in the country, but the growing disaffection of the elite threatens to weaken the state from within.

— Jieun Baek, Foreign Affairs, 30 Oct. 2026
When the neurotoxin stops suppressing nerve signals to those muscles, the lines return.

— Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

For head and neck cancer survivors specifically, nearly all clinicians routinely assess cancer recurrence, swallowing and thyroid function.

— Marci Lee Nilsen, The Conversation, 22 Oct. 2026
People who have been infected with salmonella may experience diarrhea, fever and stomach cramps, usually six hours to six days after swallowing the bacteria, health officials said.

— Victoria Craw, Washington Post, 22 Oct. 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 3 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of choking (back)

verb

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