CHOKING Synonyms: 69 Similar and Opposite Words

choking

verb

Definition of choking

present participle of choke

as in strangling

to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe let go of my throat—you're choking me!

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in vomiting

to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe the recommended procedure for helping someone who is choking

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as in drowning

to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air thick, black smoke choked the trapped firefighters

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as in blocking

to prevent passage through by filling with something overgrown bushes choked the narrow alleyway between the buildings

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Example 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 choking Less than a month before Spencer killed his wife, he had been arrested for allegedly choking her. — Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 The war in Iran is choking global energy supply. — George Calhoun, Forbes.com, 18 June 2026 This practice carries risks, such as choking and aspiration, or food entering the airway. — Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 3 July 2026 Harry Styles’ brief but jarring collapse during his London performance this weekend was not a result of the heatwave affecting Europe, but choking. — Jami Ganz, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026 In another corner of the pool, Garland Jones is working with Mackenzie Wesley on safe breathing techniques above the water because, in the past, putting her face under water has been uncomfortable and led to choking. — Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 1 July 2026 The regulated, toxic substance is corrosive to the skin, eyes and lungs, and high levels of exposure can lead to choking, burns and death, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026 Eddie Jenkins had been arrested for domestic battery for allegedly choking Kiara Jenkins in 2009, prosecutors said. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 1 July 2026 Officer Nicholas Samartino of the Woodbridge Police Department responded to a report that a 5-day-old infant was choking and experiencing difficulty breathing back in May, according to police. — Stephen Underwood, Hartford Courant, 20 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for choking

Verb

Not cut the taxes strangling working families and British business.

— Alastair Grant, Los Angeles Times, 29 June 2026
Instead of having a thousand flowers bloom, a thousand weeds end up strangling them.

— Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Time, 28 June 2026

Definition of strangling

Verb

But water also carries the potential for danger, and parents who have lost a child to drowning are begging families to use caution.

— Madeline Mitchell, USA Today, 3 July 2026
Florida, which has one of the highest childhood drowning rates in the nation, expanded a voucher program this month that puts children ages 1-7 who have autism at the front of the line for subsidized swim lessons.

— Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 July 2026

Definition of drowning

Verb

Samsung built that into the S26 Ultra’s display at a hardware level, using a filter layer that acts like tiny vertical blinds sitting inside the panel itself, physically blocking light from travelling sideways.

— Janhoi McGregor, Forbes.com, 2 July 2026
It’s made from a soft, breathable fabric that’s comfortable enough to wear for hours at a time, and features secure zippered pockets with RFID-blocking protection in order to prevent digital theft of your information.

— Sophie Dodd, Travel + Leisure, 2 July 2026

Definition of blocking

Verb

Within Venezuela, activists have accused authorities of obstructing relief efforts.

— Manuel Rueda, NPR, 27 June 2026
The passenger rail service said that eight cars and two locomotives derailed after striking the dump truck that was obstructing the crossing.

— The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 25 June 2026

Definition of obstructing

Verb

In 1976, Miami Marine Stadium’s bicentennial fireworks show drew a causeway-jamming capacity crowd of 15,000 while a downtown Miami parade attracted about 5,000 people.

— Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
Russia responded by outfitting the glide bombs with Kometa satellite navigation modules that are more resistant to jamming.

— Vikram Mittal, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

Definition of jamming

Verb

Soccer fans have already been filling seats at new businesses like El Tesoro, the Irish Exit, Glide Pizza and the immersive entertainment destination Cosm.

— Olivia Wakim, AJC.com, 1 July 2026
After two devastating quakes, first responders were fishermen, doctors and emigres returning from abroad — a grassroots campaign filling a government void.

— Helena Carpio, Washington Post, 30 June 2026