choke up

phrasal verb

choked up; choking up; chokes up
1
: to have trouble talking because of crying or strong emotion
He chokes up whenever he tries to talk about the accident.
2
baseball : to move one's hands to a higher position on a baseball bat
often + on
He choked up on the bat and took a short swing.

Examples of choke up in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Travis also got choked up over the loss during his first New Heights episode back after the game. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 26 Feb. 2025 Kotb was replaced by longtime co-host Craig Melvin, who also choked up on his first day as co-anchor while being welcomed by his Today co-stars as well as family and friends. Ross Rosenfeld, Newsweek, 26 Feb. 2025 Unlimited Data and a Free Router All Frontier Fiber plans will give you 100% fiber-optic internet service with unlimited data, so no more lag as your data chokes up at the end of your billing cycle. Pcmag Brandx and Frontier, PCMAG, 20 Feb. 2025 After receiving the Living Legend Award from a reverential, cigarette-smoking Bono, Sinatra, who choked up immediately, launched into an acceptance speech dotted with humorous anecdotes and pauses. Melissa Ruggieri, USA TODAY, 26 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for choke up

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Choke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choke%20up. Accessed 11 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!