throttle

American  

[throt-l] / ˈθrɒt l /

noun

• throttles
  plural

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

• throttler
  noun
• unthrottled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• throttles
  plural

Participles

• throttling
  present
• throttled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• throttle
  simple
• throttles
  simple
• have throttled
  perfect
• has throttled
  perfect
• am throttling
  progressive
• are throttling
  progressive
• is throttling
  progressive
• have been throttling
  perfect progressive
• has been throttling
  perfect progressive

Past

• throttled
  simple
• had throttled
  perfect
• was throttling
  progressive
• were throttling
  progressive
• had been throttling
  perfect progressive

Future

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

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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

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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

See Examples For:

throttle throttles throttled throttling

The spool suit is the latest in a coordinated effort by California’s municipalities and the state attorney general’s office to throttle the bootleg gun industry by stanching the flow of its precursor components.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 10, 2026

It has been desperate to avoid a ban, warning that it risked creating a cascade of unintended consequences that would throttle supplies of diesel and gasoline in the U.S. and lead to spiking prices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

One bipartisan bill would require developers of the most powerful systems to retain the ability to throttle, suspend or shut them down.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

"I knew instantly when it flew over my building - our apartment building - that it was a twin engine jet at full throttle," said Charles, a trained pilot.

From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026

“About time,” she grunted, flicking the throttle wide open.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

But Europe can ill afford to anger China in case it throttles supplies of rare earth minerals that are vital for the continent's industrial sector.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

They have throttles and much more powerful motors and may only be ridden legally on private land with the owner's permission.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

Plus: AI build-out fuels warehouse demand; war throttles another chokepoint: the Black Sea.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

But if an internet service provider throttles traffic in response to data caps, a VPN can’t stop that.

From Salon ● Jun. 10, 2026

They opened their throttles to full speed, and even then they were only just able to keep up.

From "The BFG" by Roald Dahl

In response, Beijing throttled tourist flights to Japan from China and squeezed Japanese firms’ access to Chinese rare earths, critical components in manufacturing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026

About five miles separate Agoura and Westlake high schools, but there seemed to be a great deal more distance between them Friday night, as host Westlake throttled the Chargers 38-7 in a nonleague game.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2026

No protest roadblocks remained standing in Bolivia on Tuesday, the government said, as it deployed the army to quell weeks-long demonstrations that had throttled roads nationwide.

From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026

That throttled supply means property prices -- and therefore rents -- make up an unaffordable proportion of many people's income.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

The engines crooned mellifluously as McWatt throttled back to loiter and allow the rest of the planes in his flight to catch up.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

The throttling would limit Ukraine’s ability to use its drones to intercept enemy drones.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2026

Shaheds fly at speeds in excess of 198mph, meaning SpaceX's throttling makes Ukrainian efforts to chase them down all but impossible.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

Privacy A VPN’s raison d’être: encrypting your traffic to mask your internet browsing from your ISP and prevent it from throttling your connection.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

Slowly throttling wells and using idle ships as floating storage are further helping Iran stretch the clock.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

There were the nagging headlines about the missing E.I.S., the embarrassing resignation of Kimberly Lou Dixon, the TV footage of Chuck Muckle throttling Kelly Colfax... and, last but not least, those darn owls.

From "Hoot" by Carl Hiaasen

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