choke
choke — verb
1. when your airway is partly or fully blocked — by food, a small object, liquid, o
when your airway is partly or fully blocked — by food, a small object, liquid, or smoke — and you cannot get air into your lungs, or to make someone experience this.
Aiko started to choke on a piece of fish during dinner at the restaurant.
choke on [object] — the thing that blocks the airway
The old man choked on his tea and coughed for almost a minute.
choke on [liquid]
A small piece of bone got stuck in Wen's throat and made her choke.
The baby was choking on a grape, so the nurse quickly gave first aid.
When someone is choking, you should call for help and tap their back firmly.
passive construction: is choking (intransitive use)
- choke on food
- choke on a bone
- choke to death
Grammar Patterns
choke on something
choke (somebody)
Usage Note
This sense can be both intransitive (She choked on a nut) and transitive (The smoke choked the firefighters). The intransitive form is far more common in everyday speech.
Common Mistakes
2. to squeeze a person's neck with your hands or a cord so that their air supply is
to squeeze a person's neck with your hands or a cord so that their air supply is cut off and they cannot breathe.
In the film, the villain tried to choke the hero with a rope.
choke [someone] with [object]
The police found evidence that a young man had been choked to death.
passive: be choked to death
Wrestling rules clearly forbid athletes from choking their opponents during a match.
An attacker grabbed the shopkeeper from behind and tried to choke her.
The coroner ruled that the victim had been choked with a thin wire.
- choke someone to death
- choke with a cord
- choke an opponent
Grammar Patterns
choke somebody
Usage Note
Distinguish from sense 1 (STOP BREATHING): sense 2 always involves deliberate pressure on the throat from outside the body, usually by another person. Sense 1 covers accidental internal blockage (food, liquid, smoke).
Common Mistakes
3. to fill a passage, pipe, road, or space so completely that nothing can move thro
to fill a passage, pipe, road, or space so completely that nothing can move through it easily — for example, when fallen leaves block a drain and stop water from flowing.
Leaves and mud had choked the drain behind the old house.
choked [passage] — physical obstruction
The narrow streets were choked with traffic during the evening rush hour.
passive: be choked with [obstruction]
Weeds had choked the garden pond, making it hard for the fish to survive.
The old pipe was choked with grease and would not let any water pass through.
Thick smoke choked the hallway after the fire started in the basement kitchen.
abstract object — smoke fills a space
- choked with traffic
- choked with weeds
- choked by smoke
Grammar Patterns
be choked with something
Usage Note
Frequently used in the passive voice (be choked with/by something). The subject is often a road, pipe, drain, or other passageway. Also used in more abstract contexts (The market is choked with cheap imports).
Common Mistakes
4. to perform much worse than usual at a decisive moment, especially in sports or e
to perform much worse than usual at a decisive moment, especially in sports or exams, because nervousness suddenly takes over — for example, missing an easy putt in golf when the pressure to win becomes overwhelming.
The tennis player choked and lost the match after being far ahead.
sports context — sudden failure under pressure
Ravi choked during the final exam and could not answer simple questions.
exam context — nervousness blocks performance
The team choked in the final minute and missed a chance to tie the game.
Diego had never choked before, but the pressure made him miss the easy shot.
Yusuf choked during his driving test even though he was well prepared.
- choke in a game
- choke under pressure
- choke on a shot
- freeze
becomes unable to move or act; more extreme than choke
- crack under pressure
more general, not limited to sports; slightly more formal
- thrive under pressure
the opposite — performing better when the stakes are high
Grammar Patterns
choke (in/on/at something)
Usage Note
Common in sports commentary and informal conversation about high-stakes situations (tests, job interviews, performances). The noun form 'a choke' is also used in sports (That was a real choke).
Common Mistakes
5. when strong feelings such as sadness, gratitude, or anger make your voice break
when strong feelings such as sadness, gratitude, or anger make your voice break and prevent you from talking normally — for example, when a speaker tries to thank a crowd but the words will not come out.
Leila choked with emotion as she read the letter from her family.
choke with [emotion]
Yara's voice choked when she tried to thank the strangers who saved her son.
voice chokes — specific body part as subject
Hana felt her throat choke up as she said goodbye to her childhood home.
The bride's father choked on his words while giving a speech at the wedding.
Stories of the earthquake survivors choked everyone who heard them that night.
transitive: something chokes someone emotionally
- choke with emotion
- voice choked
- choke back tears
- get choked up
informal phrasal verb; very common in conversation
- sob
different — crying audibly vs. being unable to speak
Grammar Patterns
choke with [emotion]
choke on something
choke somebody up
Usage Note
The intransitive pattern 'choke with [emotion]' is most common (choked with grief / rage / joy). The phrasal form 'choke up' is also frequent in informal American English (I choked up when I saw the award). Never used literally — the airway is not actually blocked.
Common Mistakes
6. to prevent something from expanding, improving, or reaching its full potential b
to prevent something from expanding, improving, or reaching its full potential by placing limits on it — for example, when complex rules stop a company from testing new ideas and getting bigger.
High taxes can choke small businesses and stop them from growing.
abstract subject: choke [business/development]
Strict school rules choked the creativity of students in the art department.
The thick forest was choked by climbing vines that blocked all the sunlight.
passive: be choked by [restricting force]
New laws were introduced to choke the flow of illegal money into the country.
abstract flow — choke + [flow/trade/development]
Bureaucracy can choke innovation if every new idea requires months of approval.
- choke growth
- choke innovation
- choke the economy
Grammar Patterns
choke something
Usage Note
Almost always figurative — the literal obstruction sense (sense 3) is for physical passages, while this sense applies to abstract entities (economy, creativity, growth). The subject is typically a system, regulation, or external force.
Common Mistakes
7. to reduce the amount of air going into a cold engine so that more fuel mixes wit
to reduce the amount of air going into a cold engine so that more fuel mixes with the air, which helps the engine start more easily.
Theo pulled the choke lever to help the old car start on a cold morning.
noun form in 'choke lever' — the device that chokes
Yusuf adjusted the choke to get the lawnmower engine running again.
The driver choked the engine before turning the key in the freezing weather.
transitive verb: choke the engine
You choke a cold engine by pulling a small knob near the steering wheel.
The mechanic showed Priya how to set the choke on the old motorcycle.
- choke the engine
- pull the choke
- choke a cold engine
Grammar Patterns
choke an engine
Usage Note
This sense is specific to older vehicles with carburetors. Modern cars with fuel injection do not need manual choking, so younger speakers may not be familiar with this meaning. The noun 'choke' (the control device) is more common than the verb in everyday speech.
Common Mistakes
choke back
phrasal verbTo stop yourself from showing a strong emotion, especially sadness or anger.
Maya choked back tears when she heard the sad news.
Can you choke back your anger and speak calmly?
choke down
phrasal verbTo eat or drink something with difficulty, especially because you do not like it or are not hungry.
Brian choked down the bitter medicine in one gulp.
She tried to choke down the dry sandwich but couldn't.
choke off
phrasal verbTo stop or prevent something from continuing or developing.
The new law could choke off small business growth.
Heavy traffic choked off the flow of emergency vehicles.
choke out
phrasal verbTo say something with difficulty because of strong emotion or physical pressure.
Diego choked out an apology between sobs.
She choked out a few words before collapsing.
choke up
phrasal verbTo become unable to speak clearly because of strong emotion, especially sadness.
Sara choked up when she thanked her supporters.
Why did you choke up during the speech?
choke — noun
1. a control device found on older cars that limits how much air reaches the engine
a control device found on older cars that limits how much air reaches the engine, creating a fuel-rich mixture that helps the motor start in cold weather.
The driver pulled the choke out to help start the truck on the icy morning.
pull the choke — common collocation
In older cars the choke is a small lever usually mounted near the steering wheel.
Kofi pulled the choke and turned the key, but the engine still would not start.
The mechanic said the choke was stuck and needed to be cleaned with solvent.
the choke as a physical component
- pull the choke
- set the choke
- choke lever
- choke cable
Usage Note
Usually a manual control in cars from the 20th century. In modern cars with automatic fuel injection, a manual choke does not exist, so this noun is becoming less common in everyday language.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- chokedadjectiveB2
- chokingadjectiveB2
- chokernounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
These four words all involve difficulty in breathing, but they differ in cause and intent. Choke (sense 1) is the most versatile and common — it covers accidental blockage from food, liquid, or smoke (She choked on a peanut). Suffocate is broader and more severe: it can mean death from lack of air whether the airway is blocked or the air itself is unbreathable (The workers suffocated in the sealed room). Gag is a reflexive reaction — the body tries to expel something from the throat but the airway may not be fully blocked (The smell made her gag). Strangle is deliberate and violent, always involving external pressure on the neck. Compare: 'He choked on his dinner' (accident) vs. 'He was strangled in a fight' (deliberate harm).
Common collocations
Etymology
The word 'choke' comes from Middle English 'choken', which developed from Old English 'ācēocian' meaning 'to suffocate or strangle'. This Old English word is thought to be imitative — the sound of someone gagging or gasping for air. The figurative senses (to choke off growth, to choke under pressure) emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries. The mechanical noun sense (the engine choke) dates from the early days of the automobile, around the 1920s.