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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.

See Examples For:

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

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 promise her that, despite everything, I’ll keep going, that I’ll find my own way and choke back my tears.

From "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank

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