choke
verb · noun
Simple meaning
To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
chohkIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈtʃoʊk
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
intransitive
To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles in the air that cause the throat to constrict).
Constrict (someone's) throat and keep from breathing
intransitivecolloquial
To perform badly at a crucial stage of a competition, especially when one appears to be clearly winning.
transitive
To prevent (someone) from breathing or talking by strangling or filling the windpipe.
transitive
To hinder or check, as growth, expansion, progress, etc.; to kill (a plant by robbing it of nutrients); to extinguish (fire by robbing it of oxygen).
transitive
To check or stop (an utterance or voice) as if by choking.
noun
A major mistake at a crucial stage of a competition because one is nervous, especially when one is winning.
A control on a carburetor to adjust the air/fuel mixture when the engine is cold.
A constriction at the muzzle end of a shotgun barrel which affects the spread of the shot.
A partial or complete blockage (of boulders, mud, etc.) in a cave passage.
The mass of immature florets in the centre of the bud of an artichoke.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C1 · Advanced
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Neutral / general English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles in the air that cause the throat to constrict).
Used this way, choke is a reasonably familiar word with a faintly unfavourable edge. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Slightly negative
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Moderate
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Critical or judgemental
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Nearby words
- congest , rarer, so it draws attention
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use choke
- “She choked with emotion when she spoke about her deceased husband.”verb
- “The team should have won hands down but choked, disappointing the coach and the audience.”verb
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Inflected forms
Grammatical variations of the same word.
A condition caused by blocking the airways to the lungs (as with food or swelling of the larynx).
Someone who kills by strangling.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
Obstruct.
Suppress.
A restraining hold.
Suppress.
A coil of low resistance and high inductance used in electrical circuits to pass direct current and attenuate alternating current.
A coil of low resistance and high inductance used in electrical circuits to pass direct current and attenuate alternating current.
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.