choke

choke¹ [tʃəuk US tʃouk] v

[Date: 1300-1400; Origin: achoke 'to choke' (11-14 centuries), from Old English aceocian]

1.)

to be unable to breathe properly because something is in your throat or there is not enough air

choke on

▪ He choked on a piece of bread.

▪ Six people choked to death on the fumes.

2.) [T]

if something chokes you, it makes you unable to breathe properly

▪ I felt as if there was a weight on my chest, choking me.

▪ The smoke was choking me.

3.) [T]

to prevent someone from breathing by putting your hands around their throat and pressing on it

▪ His hands were round her throat, choking her.

4.) [I and T]

to be unable to talk clearly because you are feeling a strong emotion

choke with

▪ He was choking with rage.

▪ I was too choked with emotion to speak.

▪ Her voice was choked with rage.

5.) [T] [i]also choke sth<=>out

to say something with difficulty because you are very upset or angry

▪ 'Get out,' she choked.

6.) [ T] also choke sth<=>up

to fill a place so that things cannot move through it

▪ Weeds were choking the stream.

be choked (up) with sth

▪ The gutters were choked up with leaves.

7.) [i]informal

to fail at doing something, especially a sport, because there is a lot of pressure on you

▪ People said I choked, but I just had a bad day on the golf course.

8.) [T]

if one plant chokes another, it kills it by growing all around it and taking away its light and room to grow

▪ Weeds can quickly choke delicate garden plants.

9.) choke a horse

AmE spoken if you say that something is big enough to choke a horse, you are emphasizing that it is very big

▪ a wad of bills big enough to choke a horse

choke back [choke sth<=>back] phr v

to control your anger, sadness etc so that you do not show it

▪ He choked back tears as he described what had happened.

▪ She choked back a sob.

▪ I choked back my anger.

choke off [choke off sth] phr v

to prevent something from happening

▪ It is feared that higher interest rates might choke off economic recovery.

choke out [choke sth<=>out] phr v

to say something with difficulty because you are very upset or angry

▪ His heart hammered as he choked out the words.

▪ 'No!' she choked out.

choke up phr v

1.) choke sth<=>up

to fill a place so that things cannot move through it

be choked up with sth

▪ The stream was choked up with weeds.

2.) choke sb up

to make someone feel very upset and unable to talk

▪ This song really chokes me up.

▪ I was really choked up when I saw her again.

choke ²

choke² n

1.) a piece of equipment in a vehicle that controls the amount of air going into the engine, and that is used to help the engine start

2.) the sound that someone makes when they cannot breathe properly because something is in their throat or there is not enough air

▪ She gave a little choke of laughter.