as in strangling
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 throttling
The newsroom union claims the change is throttling staff diversity and muting the magazine’s progressive political bent.
—
Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
Before upgrading, consider testing your current speed, optimizing your Wi-Fi setup and checking if your provider is throttling your connection.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The late icon strapped himself into his guitar while throttling songs in Shellac and Big Black, changing how menacing a punk riff could sound.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2025
View gallery - 6 images Californian e-mobility outfit Viribus has launched a new electric trike family, with tasty specs like a 1,200-W peak motor on offer for pedaling or throttling up inclines, as well as dual shocks, rear differential, and a two-step folding design.
—New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throttling
Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
Before upgrading, consider testing your current speed, optimizing your Wi-Fi setup and checking if your provider is throttling your connection.
—Roxanne Downer, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025
The late icon strapped himself into his guitar while throttling songs in Shellac and Big Black, changing how menacing a punk riff could sound.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 29 Oct. 2025
View gallery - 6 images Californian e-mobility outfit Viribus has launched a new electric trike family, with tasty specs like a 1,200-W peak motor on offer for pedaling or throttling up inclines, as well as dual shocks, rear differential, and a two-step folding design.
—New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for throttling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for throttling
Verb
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In early January 2025, police were called to the Aliquippa VFW when Ours was accused of repeatedly punching and strangling another man, later identified as Preston Coleman.—
Mike Darnay,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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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
Verb
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Joshua Duckett was three years old when his father was sent to Florida’s Death Row, convicted of raping, choking and drowning a fifth-grade girl while on duty as a police officer for the small rural town of Mascotte in Lake County.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Mar. 2026
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Iran has retaliated against the United States and Israel with missiles and drones, targeting American military bases and other locations in Gulf Arab countries, disrupting trade routes, choking fuel supplies and threatening regional air traffic.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Throttling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/throttling. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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