choke

verb

ˈchōk How to pronounce choke (audio)
Definition of chokenext
1
as in to strangle
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe let go of my throat—you're choking me!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to vomit
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe the recommended procedure for helping someone who is choking

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to suffocate
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air thick, black smoke choked the trapped firefighters

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4
as in to block
to prevent passage through by filling with something overgrown bushes choked the narrow alleyway between the buildings

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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 choke Metal barricades choked the streets as police moved against young demonstrators, beating some, dragging others into buses and chasing away the rest. — ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026 On top of store closures and unsold inventory, the company was choking on enormous debt from a private equity buyout in 2014. — Phil Wahba, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2026 DeShantz is also accused of choking the woman and throwing her to the ground outside of his home in the city's Allentown neighborhood. — Mike Darnay, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026 The toddler choked and foamed at the mouth, then stopped breathing, according to the 10th Circuit’s decision. — Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 8 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for choke
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke
  1. strangle
  2. vomit
  3. suffocate
  4. block
  5. throttle
  6. obstruct
  7. jam
Verb
  • In a counter claim, Xuan accused Diaz of being drunk at work and trying to strangle him.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The latest slate of attacks is strangling a recovery in movement throughout the strait that had been building for weeks.
    — Glenn Taylor, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of strangle
Verb
  • The climax of Lukas Moodysson’s A Hole in My Heart (2004), where Geko vomits into Tess’s open mouth?
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Robertson said that about two days later, her daughter started vomiting, developed a high fever, and had severe diarrhea.
    — Erin Jones, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of vomit
Verb
  • Montanans are suffocating due to an affordability crisis, rising fuel prices and an inexplicable war.
    — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Hernandez, 43, and Ulani Nunes, 23 are accused of suffocating Manuel Mendez in order to take his money three days before his body was found wrapped in a shower curtain, according to the San Antonio Express-News.
    — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of suffocate
Verb
  • Antetokounmpo also blocked a Noah Clowney dunk attempt a few minutes later, and then got the ball back for a spinning finger roll on the other end.
    — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
  • As Wrigley View Rooftop sees it, there’s no limiting principle allowing one sports business to block a neighbor from selling seats with a view.
    — Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of block
Verb
  • Ukrainian officials and military units accused Elon Musk’s SpaceX of throttling a technology at the heart of their battlefield communications and drone operations.
    — David Hickey, NBC news, 15 Oct. 2026
  • After throttling the New England Patriots 46-10 in Super Bowl XX, the Bears held a huge parade in Chicago.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of throttle
Verb
  • Abiy's office accused the TPLF of obstructing the agreement and said that the latest fighting ended in its defeat.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Abiy’s office accused the TPLF of obstructing the agreement and said the latest fighting ended in its defeat.
    — Khaled Kazziha, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of obstruct
Verb
  • Not since Lou Reed jammed 26 dollars in his hand has a group so believably articulated the crescendo and contours of a high, alongside the mundanity, side quests, and thousand-yard stares, too.
    — Gabriel Szatan, Pitchfork, 18 Oct. 2026
  • Its frothy, pastel hues and single moment of contrived levity (when one dance claims a trumpet solo for a joke about jamming her toe) is one of those quintessential examples of Balanchine’s repertoire showing its age.
    — Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of jam

Phrases Containing choke

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choirs
choke
choke (back)
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Cite this Entry

“Choke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on choke

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about choke

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