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Synonyms

choke back

British  

verb

  1. (tr, adverb) to suppress (anger, tears, etc)

"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
choke back Idioms  

  1. Suppress, as in He choked back his tears. [Late 1800s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Often appearing to choke back tears, he told his counsel Tony Graham KC he remembered nothing of the accident nor the journey leading up to it.

From BBC • Nov. 11, 2025

Bradley raised both arms to the sky and had to choke back tears after clinching the victory with a tap-in on 18.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 16, 2022

In his remarks Tuesday night, Mr. Biden repeatedly appeared to choke back tears as he was called to do it again.

From New York Times • May 24, 2022

“I went to bed ... not knowing my life would change,” Veilleux read, halting for a moment to choke back sobs.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 18, 2020

I choke back a sob that surprises me.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.