/ ˈθrɒtl; NAmE ˈθrɑːtl/ verb , noun
■ verb
[ vn ] to attack or kill sb by squeezing their throat in order to stop them from breathing
SYN strangle :
He throttled the guard with his bare hands.
( humorous )
I like her, although I could cheerfully throttle her at times (= because she is annoying) .
( figurative )
The city is being throttled by traffic.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- throttle (sth) back / down / up
■ noun
a device that controls the amount of fuel that goes into the engine of a vehicle, for example the accelerator in a car :
He drove along at full throttle (= as fast as possible) .
( figurative )
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WORD ORIGIN
late Middle English (as a verb): perhaps a frequentative, from throat ; the noun (dating from the mid 16th cent. referring to a person's throat, gullet or windpipe) is perhaps a diminutive of throat , but the history of the word is not clear.