throttle

American  

[throt-l] / ˈθrɒt l /

noun

1. Also called throttle lever.  a lever, pedal, handle, etc., for controlling or manipulating a throttle valve.

2. throttle valve.

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

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verb (used with object)

throttled, throttling

1. to stop the breath of by compressing the throat; strangle.

2. to choke or suffocate in any way.

3. to compress by fastening something tightly around.

4. to silence or check as if by choking.

   His message was throttled by censorship.

5. Machinery.

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

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

idioms

1. at full throttle, at maximum speed.

throttle British  

/ 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

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verb

1. to kill or injure by squeezing the throat

2. to suppress

   to throttle the press

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

Other Word Forms

• throttler noun
• unthrottled adjective

Etymology

Origin of throttle

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 throte throat; compare German Drossel

Explanation

The throttle of an engine controls the fuel going in, and if you're going at full throttle, you'd better hang onto your hat. You can think of a throttle as a throat, and the two words may be related. But as with a throat, if you block a throttle, something bad is likely to happen. You can throttle your car — cut off the air to the engine, also known as applying the choke — and you might stall it out. You can also throttle a person — the image is that you grab the person by the throat and cut off his air. It's much better to use throttle figuratively: when you crushed your opponent at tennis, you could say "you throttled her" — but nobody really got hurt.

Example Sentences

To perform what has to be the most elegant holeshot in history, drivers will have to engage “Spirited Mode” by holding down both brake and throttle then releasing the brake.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

"You just need to back off the throttle or turn down the battery and you charge the thing. So no more challenge in the high speed."

From BBC • Mar. 29, 2026

The adjustment is tied to the U.S. income-tax season, which affects banking system reserves, allowing the Fed to throttle back purchases.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Shakira gently ushered Spanish into the American radio waves with 2005’s massive “Hips Don’t Lie,” then full throttle with Alejandro Sanz in their reggaeton hit “La Tortura.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

I hung on, standing on the deck, reaching inboard for wheel and throttle and clutch with my left hand.

From "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck