throttle

[ throt-l ]
See synonyms for throttle on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. Also called throttle lever. a lever, pedal, handle, etc., for controlling or manipulating a throttle valve.

  1. the throat, gullet, or windpipe, as of a horse.

verb (used with object),throt·tled, throt·tling.
  1. to stop the breath of by compressing the throat; strangle.

  2. to choke or suffocate in any way.

  1. to compress by fastening something tightly around.

  2. to silence or check as if by choking: His message was throttled by censorship.

  3. Machinery.

    • to obstruct or check the flow of (a fluid), as to control the speed of an engine.

    • to reduce the pressure of (a fluid) by passing it from a smaller area to a larger one.

Idioms about throttle

  1. at full throttle, at maximum speed.

Origin of throttle

1
1350–1400; (v.) Middle English throtelen, frequentative of throten to cut the throat of (someone), strangle, derivative of throat; (noun) probably diminutive of Middle English throtethroat; compare German Drossel

Other words from throttle

  • throttler, noun
  • un·throt·tled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use throttle in a sentence

  • The amphibian coasted slowly in toward the beach, throttled down its motors and finally came to a halt.

    The Missing Formula | Mildred A. Wirt, AKA Ann Wirt
  • He screamed once and clutched a stout, hanging creeper and clung there while his cry throttled down to a gasp.

  • And by the way he said it I knew what he had in mind, and good friend that he was of mine I liked to have throttled him.

    Murder in Any Degree | Owen Johnson
  • Romashov thought at that moment that his voice sounded peculiar and unnatural, as if he were being throttled.

    The Duel | A. I. Kuprin

British Dictionary definitions for throttle

throttle

/ (ˈθrɒtəl) /


noun
  1. Also called: throttle valve any device that controls the quantity of fuel or fuel and air mixture entering an engine

  2. an informal or dialect word for throat

verb(tr)
  1. to kill or injure by squeezing the throat

  2. to suppress: to throttle the press

  1. to control or restrict (a flow of fluid) by means of a throttle valve

Origin of throttle

1
C14: throtelen, from throte throat

Derived forms of throttle

  • throttler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012