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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Recent Examples of Synonyms for choking (back)

Verb

The Democratic governor has acknowledged the challenge of adopting regulations that protect the public without going too far and potentially stifling the technology industry’s growth, which brings critical revenue to the state budget.

— Queenie Wong, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
On Monday, facing the stifling defense of the second-place Golden State Valkyries, Miles shot three of twelve from the field and gave up four turnovers.

— Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

In 2023, thawing permafrost led to a rock collapse into South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim, India, generating a wave that burst through the moraine holding back the glacial lake.

— Umesh Haritashya, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2026
Iris Skrami, chief executive officer of Renoon, said many companies are still holding back on their DPP work.

— Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of holding back

Verb

Rather than suppressing appetite, the compound appears to boost energy expenditure, according to a study published in Science Advances.

— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
Increasingly, the wildfires that most urgently need suppressing ignite in the interfaces between rural and urban areas, places smokejumpers were not originally intended to go.

— M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

As Silicon Valley remakes the world yet again, swallowing up our water and spiking our electricity bills, homelessness remains endemic to that region of California.

— Piper French, The New York Review of Books, 5 Sep. 2026
Officials added that people cannot become infected with Naegleria fowleri by swallowing contaminated water; however, the amoeba can enter the body when it is forcefully introduced, such as through the nose into the brain.

— Angel Saunders, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of swallowing

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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 7 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of choking (back)

verb

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