choke

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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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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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

Examples 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 Initiate the Heimlich If the person is still choking after a few blows to the back, experts recommend starting the Heimlich maneuver. Angelica Stabile, Fox News, 30 Dec. 2024 He’s also written a book, started a podcast, and launched a foundation to support police officers and service members accused of crimes; among the beneficiaries to date is Daniel Penny, the former Marine who in 2023 choked an unarmed Black man to death on the New York subway. Longreads, 18 Dec. 2024 Are the older kids' toys, which could be choking hazards, out of reach of a young baby or toddler? Nicole Villalpando, Austin American-Statesman, 19 Dec. 2024 The police chief added that 911 dispatchers are trained to talk children through difficult situations, including parents choking, CPR, and even giving birth. Michael Loria, USA TODAY, 17 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for choke 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke
Verb
  • Economic Relief: Years of strife in Syria ruined the country’s energy sector, battered its currency and strangled growth.
    Carlotta Gall, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2025
  • Syria’s universities, meanwhile, withered as sanctions imposed on the Assad regime strangled the economy.
    ByRichard Stone, science.org, 23 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • After coming under the organization's care, Pudding vomited chicken bones and onions — foods hazardous to dogs, according to The Straits Times.
    Kimberlee Speakman, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Taking multivitamins on an empty stomach may cause nausea and vomiting for some people.
    Patricia Weiser, PharmD, Verywell Health, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Vazquez then allegedly confessed to suffocating Lucia with a bedsheet.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 5 Jan. 2025
  • No doubt relatively slow economic growth (the biggest economic downturns in the U.S. are boom times anywhere else) suffocates the talents of way too many people.
    John Tamny, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Another obstacle blocking advanced meditation’s path into the mainstream is that a critical mass of Americans aren’t exactly itching to become full-on Buddhists.
    Oshan Jarow, Vox, 8 Jan. 2025
  • She had been tasked with removing a pile of rubble blocking an entrance to the annex of Structure 12.
    Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Additional peripheral mounts will be released in August, including the $99 Pro Flying surfaces for a joystick and throttle, the $189 Pro Desktop desk surface for a mouse and keyboard, and the $199 Pro Racing surfaces for a steering wheel and pedals.
    Will Greenwald, PCMAG, 9 Jan. 2025
  • So somewhere along the way, our creative genius gets throttled.
    Sandy Cohen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • In the 2020 election case, brought in Washington, D.C., Trump faced four charges, including conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding.
    Robert Legare, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2025
  • The second part of the report, related to allegations that Trump unlawfully held onto classified documents after the end of his first term in 2021 and obstructed the Justice Department's investigation, was not released.
    John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • And most people aren’t even aware that Pete Seeger could jam on a blues, including a lot of people who were pretty deep in the scene.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Dec. 2024
  • Russia has been blamed in the past for jamming GPS transmissions in the wider region.
    Katie Marie Davies and Dasha Litvinova, Los Angeles Times, 25 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Choke.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

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