as in strangles
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 throttles
Records could also be topped in Las Vegas and Phoenix through the weekend as the early-season desert heat wave throttles up.
—
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Health care costs have risen dramatically faster than the spending cap set by TABOR, which in turn throttles other aspects of the state budget.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
Gordon throttles Rankin, establishes six man dynasty Gordon defeated Rankin 69-22 in the Class 1A Division I six man state championship with a walk off touchdown Wednesday to claim its third consecutive state title.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Dec. 2025
Bills defense throttles Steelers offense Buffalo survived, little thanks to its offense.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
As the West throttles its science, China is racing ahead.
—Michael Jäger, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025
Doyle Rice, USA Today, 12 Mar. 2026
Health care costs have risen dramatically faster than the spending cap set by TABOR, which in turn throttles other aspects of the state budget.
—Seth Klamann, Denver Post, 14 Jan. 2026
Gordon throttles Rankin, establishes six man dynasty Gordon defeated Rankin 69-22 in the Class 1A Division I six man state championship with a walk off touchdown Wednesday to claim its third consecutive state title.
—Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Dec. 2025
Bills defense throttles Steelers offense Buffalo survived, little thanks to its offense.
—The Athletic Nfl Staff, New York Times, 1 Dec. 2025
As the West throttles its science, China is racing ahead.
—Michael Jäger, Boston Herald, 22 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throttles
Verb
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As Grace looks on in horror, her soon-to-be husband strangles Ursula and snaps her neck.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
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Mostly, though, Boland strangles batters with his suffocating and deadly-accurate line and length.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
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
Cite this Entry
“Throttles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throttles. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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