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!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of throttle
The New Shepard capsule's stubby single-stage booster roared to life just after 9:38 a.m. EDT, throttled up to full thrust and smoothly climbed away from Blue Origin's launch site near Van Horn, Texas.
—
William Harwood, CBS News, 29 June 2025
There are two basic kinds of ebikes, pedal-assist and throttle, with many newer models boasting some combination of both.
—Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, Wired News, 20 June 2025
As the political scientists Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way have argued in Foreign Affairs, the United States is sliding into competitive authoritarianism—a system in which elections, however unfair, still take place and dissent, however throttled, still exists.
—Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025
Google’s fix for the Pixel 4a also resulted in an update that throttled the phone’s battery life.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for throttle
William Harwood, CBS News, 29 June 2025
There are two basic kinds of ebikes, pedal-assist and throttle, with many newer models boasting some combination of both.
—Michael Venutolo-Mantovani, Wired News, 20 June 2025
As the political scientists Steven Levitsky and Lucan Way have argued in Foreign Affairs, the United States is sliding into competitive authoritarianism—a system in which elections, however unfair, still take place and dissent, however throttled, still exists.
—Elizabeth N. Saunders, Foreign Affairs, 16 June 2025
Google’s fix for the Pixel 4a also resulted in an update that throttled the phone’s battery life.
—Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 14 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for throttle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throttle
Verb
-
For more than a minute, audio captures the sounds of a struggle: grunting, choking.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
3 July 2025
-
As a result, millions more children and vulnerable people will be forced to choke on toxic fumes while manufacturing executives pour more money into dying steel plants.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 July 2025
Verb
-
Menzies was convicted of the 1986 murder of 26-year-old Maurine Hunsaker, a married mother of three who was kidnapped, robbed, strangled, and found tied to a tree with her throat slit.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
-
Most of the victims were strangled or asphyxiated, and Gacy buried 26 of the bodies in the crawl space beneath his home; others were found in Chicago waterways, per NPR.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
8 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Throttle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throttle. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share