choke up
Britishverb
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to block (a drain, pipe, etc) completely
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informal (usually passive) to overcome (a person) with emotion, esp without due cause
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Block a channel or other passage, as in Vegetation choked up the creek like a dam . [Late 1600s]
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Be too emotional or upset to speak, as in She became so emotional about winning that she choked up and was unable to give an interview .
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Become too nervous or tense in a critical situation to perform, as in He's fine during practice but in a match he tends to choke up . This usage, also put as to choke alone, is especially common in sports. [ Colloquial ; mid-1900s]
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.
While at times the show has caused me to choke up slightly, I find myself more so tearful that the magic of my kids’ childhoods is passing by.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 8, 2026
Mr Johnson said he believed he and his government "got some things wrong" and appeared to choke up when he described 2020 as a "tragic, tragic year".
From BBC ● Dec. 6, 2023
Of the tribute from Mr. Boehner, who is known to choke up publicly in big moments, she joked, “I would have been a little disappointed if he didn’t get emotional.”
From New York Times ● Dec. 14, 2022
At one point, he appeared to choke up during his address Thursday as he thanked his family members — both his daughter, Maya, and father, former District Attorney Gil Garcetti, were in the crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 14, 2022
He finally, at this point, begins to choke up.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
