as in to choke
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe
I was so angry at what he was saying that I could have throttled him!
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Recent Examples of throttle
The regime had relied on its navy to throttle ship traffic through the Strait of Hormuz — a crucial passageway for transporting about 20% of the world's oil and liquified natural gas.
—
Joe Walsh, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The result is a mechanically simpler engine that can be throttled and even shut down and restarted in flight, providing significantly greater flight flexibility.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026
Russian authorities have already blocked major social media platforms such as X, Facebook and Instagram, throttled YouTube, and methodically ramped up restrictions against other popular platforms during four years of war.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Heavy industrial water use—such as by data centers—should be throttled through taxation to fund desalinated water for refilling depleted aquifers.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for throttle
Joe Walsh, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
The result is a mechanically simpler engine that can be throttled and even shut down and restarted in flight, providing significantly greater flight flexibility.
—New Atlas, 25 Feb. 2026
Russian authorities have already blocked major social media platforms such as X, Facebook and Instagram, throttled YouTube, and methodically ramped up restrictions against other popular platforms during four years of war.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
Heavy industrial water use—such as by data centers—should be throttled through taxation to fund desalinated water for refilling depleted aquifers.
—Eleanor Dearman, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for throttle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throttle
Verb
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Like other invasive plants, stinknet chokes native plants and increases fire risk.—
Shi En Kim,
AZCentral.com,
13 Mar. 2026
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With fuel and freight prices skyrocketing as war chokes the Strait of Hormuz, the Panama Canal is seeing more business than usual.—
Elizabeth González,
CNN Money,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Jorge Landeros, 56, was sentenced to 25 years in prison more than a decade after reportedly fatally beating and strangling a 52-year-old American University accounting professor in her Maryland home.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
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Willacy reportedly struck Sather in the head several times with a blunt object, then bound her hands and ankles before attempting to strangle her with a telephone cord.—
News Service Of Florida,
Sun Sentinel,
13 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Throttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throttle. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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