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 French students returned to stifling, overcrowded, teacherless classrooms (with no substitute teacher for weeks) as the deadly heatwaves in Europe extended far past their usual summer boundary.

— Sarah Gidick, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026
Detroit will get its yards and points — even against Brian Flores’ stifling defense.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 29 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

But tests like that require swallowing a special substance and shipping a sample to a lab for analysis.

— Marta Zaraaska, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2026
The contrast stitching adds a unique edge, and the oversized fit is so cool and cozy without swallowing you whole.

— Annie Blackman, InStyle, 31 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 10 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of choking (back)

verb

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