Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
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

But the hardscrabble Molina began to let his emotions show, even appearing to choke back tears while describing the past 19 years.

From Seattle Times • Oct. 9, 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

But his impact throughout life was profound to those who knew him well, and they invariably choke back tears when talking about him.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 8, 2022

I was trying hard to choke back the tears when I felt his hand on my shoulder.

From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Look it up. Learn it forever.

Remember "choke back" for good with VocabTrainer. Expand your vocabulary effortlessly with personalized learning tools that adapt to your goals.

Take me to Vocabulary.com