choke off
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choke
(chōk)v. choked, chok·ing, chokes
v.tr.
1. To interfere with the respiration of by compression or obstruction of the larynx or trachea.
2.
a. To check or slow down the movement, growth, or action of: a garden that was choked by weeds.
b. To block up or obstruct by filling or clogging: Mud choked the drainpipe.
c. To fill up completely; jam: Major commuter arteries were choked with stalled traffic.
3. To reduce the air intake of (a carburetor), thereby enriching the fuel mixture.
4. Sports To grip (a bat or racket, for example) at a point nearer the hitting surface.
v.intr.
1. To have difficulty in breathing, swallowing, or speaking.
2. To become blocked up or obstructed.
3. Sports To shorten one's grip on the handle of a bat or racket. Often used with up.
4. To fail to perform effectively because of nervous agitation or tension, especially in an athletic contest: choked by missing an easy putt on the final hole.
n.
Phrasal Verbs: 1. The act or sound of choking.
2.
a. Something that constricts or chokes.
b. A slight narrowing of the barrel of a shotgun serving to concentrate the shot.
3. A device used in an internal-combustion engine to enrich the fuel mixture by reducing the flow of air to the carburetor.
4. The fibrous inedible center of an artichoke head.
choke back
To hold back; suppress: choked back his tears.
choke off
To bring to an end as if by choking: "Treasury borrowing of existing savings would drive up the interest rate and choke off economic activity" (Paul Craig Roberts).
choke up
To be unable to speak because of strong emotion.
[Middle English choken, short for achoken, from Old English āceōcian : ā-, intensive pref. + cēoce, cēace, jaw, cheek.]
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
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Verb | 1. | choke off - suppress; "He choked down his rage" |
2. | choke off - become or cause to become obstructed; "The leaves clog our drains in the Fall"; "The water pipe is backed up" gum up - stick together as if with gum; "the inside of the pipe has gummed up" obturate, occlude, close up, impede, obstruct, jam, block - block passage through; "obstruct the path" crap up - become obstructed or chocked up; "The drains clogged up" |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
choke
verb1. To interfere with or stop the normal breathing of, especially by constricting the windpipe:
2. To stop the breathing of:
3. To hold (something requiring an outlet) in check.Also used with back:
burke, gag, hold back, hold down, hush (up), muffle, quench, repress, smother, squelch, stifle, strangle, suppress, throttle.
Informal: sit on (or upon).
4. To plug up something, as a hole, space, or container:
5. To be unsuccessful:
Slang: bomb.
Idioms: fail of success, fall short.
choke off
To bring to an end forcibly as if by imposing a heavy weight:
Idiom: put the lid on.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
w>choke off
vt sep
supplies → drosseln; raising taxes could choke off the recovery → eine Steuererhöhung könnte den Erholungsprozess beeinträchtigen
(inf, = make fed up) I’m choked off → mir stinkts! (inf)
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007