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)

throttles, present (3rd person singular) throttled, past participle, past throttling present participle

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

Derived Forms

• unthrottled
  adjective
• throttler
  noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

• have throttled
  perfect
• has throttled
  perfect 3rd person singular
• throttling
  participle
• are throttling
  progressive
• is throttling
  progressive 3rd person singular
• am throttling
  progressive 1st person singular
• throttles
  singular 3rd person
• have been throttling
  perfect progressive
• has been throttling
  perfect progressive 3rd person singular

Past

• had throttled
  perfect
• had been throttling
  perfect progressive
• was throttling
  progressive singular
• were throttling
  progressive plural
• throttled
  simple
• throttled
  participle

Future

• will throttle
  simple
• will have throttled
  perfect
• will have been throttling
  perfect progressive
• will be throttling
  progressive

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

Acceleration is as simple as twisting the throttle.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026

This strategy adds momentum and value factors to a growth-oriented index strategy, while “you might throttle back a bit on valuations that get high,” Kalivas said.

From MarketWatch • May 27, 2026

At the moment, the cars require energy management techniques such as recovering energy while on full throttle, which leads to a speed drop-off before corners and through some fast curves.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

But as the EV age dawned, helped by top-down policy such as generous subsidies, Chinese firms hit the throttle.

From Barron's • Apr. 27, 2026

The only thing I can think of is, open up the throttle and head over to the town wharf, looking for Fin Chaser.

From "The Young Man and the Sea" by Rodman Philbrick