choke

(chōk)

v., choked, chok·ing, chokes.

v.tr.

1. To interfere with the respiration of by compression or obstruction of the larynx or trachea.
2. 1. To check or slow down the movement, growth, or action of: a garden that was choked by weeds.
   2. To block up or obstruct by filling or clogging: Mud choked the drainpipe.
   3. To fill up completely; jam: Major commuter arteries were choked with stalled traffic.
3. To reduce the air intake of (a carburetor), thereby enriching the fuel mixture.
4. Sports. To grip (a bat or racket, for example) at a point nearer the hitting surface.

v.intr.

1. To have difficulty in breathing, swallowing, or speaking.
2. To become blocked up or obstructed.
3. Sports. To shorten one's grip on the handle of a bat or racket. Often used with up.
4. To fail to perform effectively because of nervous agitation or tension, especially in an athletic contest: choked by missing an easy putt on the final hole.

n.

1. The act or sound of choking.
2. 1. Something that constricts or chokes.
   2. A slight narrowing of the barrel of a shotgun serving to concentrate the shot.
3. A device used in an internal-combustion engine to enrich the fuel mixture by reducing the flow of air to the carburetor.
4. The fibrous inedible center of an artichoke head.

phrasal verbs:

choke back

1. To hold back; suppress: choked back his tears.

choke off

1. To bring to an end as if by choking: "Treasury borrowing of existing savings would drive up the interest rate and choke off economic activity" (Paul Craig Roberts).

choke up

1. To be unable to speak because of strong emotion.

[Middle English choken, short for achoken, from Old English āceōcian : ā-, intensive pref. + cēoce, cēace, jaw, cheek.]

View more Literature & Language videos

also choke off

verb

1. To interfere with or stop the normal breathing of, especially by constricting the windpipe: strangle, throttle. See breath/breathlessness.
2. To stop the breathing of: asphyxiate, smother, stifle, suffocate. See breath/breathlessness.
3. To hold (something requiring an outlet) in check. burke, gag, hold back, hold down, hush (up), muffle, quench, repress, smother, squelch, stifle, strangle, suppress, throttle. Informal sit on (or upon). See restraint/unrestraint.
4. To plug up something, as a hole, space, or container: block, clog, close, congest, cork, fill, plug, stop. See full/empty/capacity.
5. To be unsuccessful: fail, fall through. Informal fall down, flop. Slang bomb. Idioms: fail of success, fall short. See thrive/fail/exist.

phrasal verb - choke off

To bring to an end forcibly as if by imposing a heavy weight: crush, extinguish, put down, quash, quell, quench, squash, squelch, suppress. Idioms: put the lid on. See continue/stop/pause, win/lose/recovery.

noun

Something used to fill a hole, space, or container: cork, fill, plug, stop, stopper. See full/empty/capacity.

v

Definition: smother, block
Antonyms: release, unblock, unconstrict

[common] To reject input, often ungracefully. “NULs make System V's lpr(1) choke.” “I tried building an EMACS binary to use X, but cpp(1) choked on all those #defines.” See barf, vi.

---

1. in. to fail to take in information being fed to it. (Computers.)  If you don't have your modem and your software set the same way as the host, your machine will choke.
2. in. to panic before or during a test. (From choke up.)  She always chokes during a test.

---

If not a direct reflection of something happening to one's body during sleep, a dream about choking can indicate indecision or conflict. Choking is also related to emotion, as when one is "choked up" from fear. Alternatively, to "choke off" is to stop something.

---

adjective
adjective

Extremely disappointed or disgusted. (1950 —) .
Oz My governor is going to be choked when I take the day off. He's going to be double choked if I enjoy myself (1969).

Previous:	choco, chocker, chizz
Next:	choky, choof, chook

To interrupt respiration by obstruction or compression, or the condition resulting from such interruption. See also esophageal obstruction.

• c. chain — a string of metal links which, when looped through an end link, forms a noose. It is commonly used as a collar for dogs, particularly in training or for control of large, strong or unruly dogs as tension on the attached lead tightens the noose around the dog's neck giving great control.
• c. chain injury — soft tissue injury and fracture on luxation of the hyoid apparatus can occur with excessive force. Choke chains may also become imbedded in the tissues of growing dogs.

For a list of words related to choke, see:

• Firearm Parts, Accessories, and Processes - choke: narrowing of bore near muzzle of shotgun to concentrate shot pellets leaving muzzle; device that regulates muzzle constriction on shotgun
• Internal Combustion Engine - choke: plate near top of carburetor that can be partially closed to restrict air entering carburetor and enrich fuel mixture
• Violent Actions - choke: strangle by applying pressure around neck

---

See words rhyming with "choke."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Choke.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
v. tr. - kvæle, tilstoppe, overfylde
v. intr. - være ved at kvæles, kløjs i det, kikse
n. - choker, kvælningsanfald, forsnævring

idioms:

• choke back    undertrykke
• choke down    spise med besvær
• choke off    holde tilbage

Nederlands (Dutch)
(ver)stikken, opstoppen, zich verslikken, emotioneel worden, choke, artisjokhart, verstikking

Français (French)
v. tr. - étrangler (par l'émotion), boucher (la route), étouffer (de mauvaises herbes), envahir de plantes (un bassin)
v. intr. - s'étouffer, étouffer (de rage, d'émotion), (US) craquer (un athlète)
n. - (Aut) starter, étouffement, voix étranglée

idioms:

• choke back    ravaler (sa colère), étouffer (un sanglot), retenir (des larmes)
• choke down    contenir, ravaler, étouffer
• choke off    (fig) étouffer, empêcher, envoyer promener
• choke up    boucher, étouffer, envahir

Deutsch (German)
v. - ersticken, verstopfen, vollstopfen
n. - Choke, Drosselklappe, Würgen

idioms:

• choke back    unterdrücken
• choke down    unterdrücken
• choke off    (ugs.) abwimmeln, stoppen, unterbinden
• choke up    verstopfen, ganz voll füllen

Ελληνική (Greek)
v. - στραγγαλίζω, καρυδώνω, καταπνίγω, καταστέλλω, πνίγομαι, σκάω, βουλώνω, φράζω, εμποδίζω την ανάπτυξη ή τη δραστηριότητα
n. - στραγγαλισμός, πνίξιμο, (μηχαν.) εμπλουτιστής μείγματος καύσης (του καρμπιρατέρ) (κν. αέρας, τσοκ), (ηλεκτρ.) στραγγαλιστικό πηνίο, καρδιά αγκινάρας

idioms:

• choke back    πνίγω (συναισθήματα)
• choke down    καταπίνω με δυσκολία
• choke off    αποθαρρύνω, αποτρέπω, καταπνίγω

Italiano (Italian)
soffocare, intralciare, asfissiare, starter, strozzamento, l'aria

idioms:

• choke back    trattenere
• choke down    inghiottire
• choke off    scoraggiare

Português (Portuguese)
v. - engasgar, reprimir
n. - sufocamento (m), obstrução (f), estrangulador (m), reator (m) (Eletr.)

idioms:

• choke back    reprimir os sentimentos, prender o choro
• choke down    engolir com dificuldade
• choke off    extinguir, dissuadir

Русский (Russian)
душить, закупоривать, задыхаться

idioms:

• choke back    сдержаться
• choke down    сдержать, поглощать, поспешно глотать
• choke off    прервать, положить конец

Español (Spanish)
v. tr. - atascar, tapar, obstruir, contener, estrangular, ahogar, sofocar
v. intr. - atascarse, taparse, ahogarse, estrangularse, sofocarse, sufrir un ahogo o sofoco, quedarse en un atasco
n. - estrangulador, starter, bobina de reactancia, obturador

idioms:

• choke back    contener, reprimir, sofocar, tragarse
• choke down    ahogar, contener, reprimir
• choke off    cortar, cortar por lo sano, interrumpir
• choke up    atestar, obstruir

Svenska (Swedish)
v. - kväva, kväva (bildl.), täppa/stoppa till, choka (bil), stoppa/proppa full med
n. - kvävning(-sanfall), choke (bil), trångborrning

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
窒息, 噎, 阻塞, 阻气门

idioms:

• choke back    抑制
• choke down    硬咽, 压制
• choke off    中止, 强制某人放弃做...

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
v. tr. - 窒息, 噎, 阻塞
v. intr. - 窒息, 噎, 阻塞
n. - 窒息, 阻氣門, 噎

idioms:

• choke back    抑制
• choke down    硬咽, 壓制
• choke off    中止, 強制某人放棄做...

한국어 (Korean)
v. tr. - 질식 시키다, 막다, 억누르다
v. intr. - 숨이 막히다, 목이 메게 하다
n. - 질식 , 코일, 엔진의 공기 흡입 조절 장치

idioms:

• choke back    감정 등을 억제하다
• choke down    겨우 삼키다, 꾹 참다
• choke off    목을 졸라 죽이다, 포기 시키다

日本語 (Japanese)
v. - 窒息する, 窒息させる, 息が詰まる, ふさぐ, 抑える
n. - 窒息, チョーク

idioms:

• choke back    抑える
• choke down    やっとのみ込む, じっと抑える, やっと飲み込む
• choke off    止める, 停止する

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(فعل) خنق, أغص, اختنق, غص (الاسم) صمام خانق, جهاز تنظيم‏

עברית (Hebrew)
v. tr. - ‮דחס, חנק‬
v. intr. - ‮נסתם, נחנק‬
n. - ‮חניקה, לב השסק, משנק (במכונית)‬

If you are unable to view some languages clearly, click here.

To select your translation preferences click here.