choke back
choke back · chokes back · choked back · choking back
To hold back or suppress, with difficultyTo hold back or suppress (an emotion, expression of emotion, or utterance), with difficulty.
» Carol couldn't choke back her tears.
Carol konnte ihre Tränen nicht zurückhalten.
Meaning
1 sensesTo hold back or suppress (an emotion, expression of emotion, or utterance), with difficulty.
When she slapped me, I tried hard to choke back my tears.
He had a cutting retort on the tip of his tongue, but he choked it back.
More definitions
- suppress
Examples
3 sentencesCarol couldn't choke back her tears.
deCarol konnte ihre Tränen nicht zurückhalten.
Anne choked back a mad desire to laugh.
Tom choked back tears as he gave his mother's eulogy.
deTom kämpfte mit den Tränen, als er die Nachrede auf seine Mutter hielt.
Forms
chokes back, choking back, choked back, choked back| Base form | choke back · to choke back |
|---|---|
| 3rd person singular | chokes back |
| Present participle | choking back |
| Past simple | choked back |
| Past participle | choked back |
irregular
Phrasal verbs
6 phrasal verbs- choke upTo (temporarily) lose one's power of speech, because of strong emotion.
- choke offTo get rid of; to cause to come to an end.
- choke outTo say (something) with difficulty, while or as if choking.
- choke onTo refuse to accept (something).
- choke downTo swallow with difficulty.
- choke backTo hold back or suppress (an emotion, expression of emotion, or utterance), with difficulty.
Synonyms
2 synonymsClose in meaning
- suppress:choke offchoke down
Lessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, regular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Phrasal verbs: introduction — Because it is a phrasal verb