choke (back)

verb

Definition of choke (back)next
as in to stifle
to refrain from openly showing or uttering choked back a sarcastic reply to an insulting question

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for choke (back)
  1. stifle
  2. suppress
  3. swallow
  4. hold back
Verb
  • Brown was part of stifling a KC law that was going to protect against housing discrimination on the basis of income source or criminal history in 2025.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Studies have shown that countries with stronger IP systems tend to be more innovative, while weaker IP systems may stifle innovation.
    — Andrei Iancu, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of stifle
Verb
  • When the neurotoxin stops suppressing nerve signals to those muscles, the lines return.
    — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026
  • In June, 1848, workers erected barricades on a nearby street, only to be brutally suppressed by government forces.
    — Maurice Samuels, New Yorker, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of suppress
Verb
  • There is no answer to be found in this story, no magic pill, pleasingly round, to be halved or crushed, then swallowed.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Even more so in Bates’ home of Aroostook County, which swallows some 6,700 square miles way up near the Canadian border.
    — Rachel Siegel, CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of swallow
Verb
  • But such is the secrecy around the project that parts of the script are being held back from buyers in what is presumably a bid to avoid spoilers and increase intrigue.
    — Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2026
  • There is neighborhood worry about the theater holding back the economic fortunes of its block.
    — Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 27 Oct. 2026
Definition of hold back
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.

Browse Nearby Words

choke
choke (back)
choked
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Cite this Entry

“Choke (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choke%20%28back%29. Accessed 30 Oct. 2026.

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