I. ˈchōk verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: Middle English cheken, choken, alteration of acheken, achoken, from Old English acēocian to suffocate, strangle — more at cheek
transitive verb
1. : to make normal breathing difficult or impossible for (a person or animal) (1) by compressing the throat with strong external pressure
an unwary guard choked to death by a murderous prisoner
(2) by obstructing or clogging the windpipe
a fish bone choking a kitten
(3) by poisoning (as with gas) or otherwise adulterating air being breathed
gas fumes were choking the rescue squad
or (4) through nervous agitation
rage choked him as he tried to speak
2. : to check, suppress, or repress expression or delivery of (as an utterance)
a cloture rule designed to choke off discussion
trying to choke down my laughter
: suppress or check manifestation of (as an emotion)
choke down his rage
also : to check or suppress utterance by (as a speaker) : shut up : silence
the moderator could not choke her off
fear of … punishment may often choke those who would otherwise speak out — Zechariah Chafee
— often used with off, back, down
3.
a. : to check or stop the growth, development, activity, or vitality of with or as if with forceful constriction
antagonism to an environment whose complications are choking his life — C.D.Lewis
b. : to check or obstruct flow, motion, progress, or other activity through (as a pipe) by clogging, congesting, crowding, filling densely, or sometimes external constriction
the drifting ice which choked the bay — R.E.Byrd
the channels are nearly choked with weeds and reeds — C.S.Forester
the hallway … was choked with rubbish — Liam O'Flaherty
c. : to fill completely or chock-full : pack , glut , jam
windows were choked with the merchandise of a summer sale — William McFee
4. : to make a choke in (as a cartridge or the barrel of a shotgun)
5. : to check or stop the motion or action of (as a cable, rudder, or machine) by clogging or jamming
6. : to enrich the fuel mixture of (a motor) by partially shutting off the air intake of the carburetor
7. sports : to grip (a bat, club, racket, or stick) some distance from the end of the handle : shorten one's grip on (a bat or other implement) in order to alter the effective length — often used with up
the power hitter seldom chokes up his bat very much
intransitive verb
1. : to suffer from interference with breathing typically by having the windpipe obstructed or irritated with resulting throat spasms
we choked in the dust of the desert — T.B.Costain
he choked on a fish bone
2. : to become obstructed, stopped, or checked by or as if by constriction or obstruction
the words choked in his throat — Sir Walter Scott
3. : to shorten one's grip on the handle of a bat or similar implement
Synonyms: see suffocate
II. noun
( -s )
1.
a. : the act of choking : suffocating : partial or complete obstruction that prevents the passage of air through the throat to the lungs
b. chokes plural : caisson disease when marked by suffocation — used with the
2. : an obstruction to passage or flow:
a. : a valve for choking a gasoline engine
b. : a constriction in an outlet (as of a gas or oil well) to limit the flow
c. : reactor 3
3.
a. : a narrowing of the bore immediately before the muzzle of a shotgun that serves to concentrate the shot pellets as they leave the muzzle of the gun
b. : an attachment that allows variation of muzzle constriction of a shotgun
4. : the filamentous or scaly center of an artichoke head
5. : an interference with the development of the inflorescence of certain grasses caused by growth of the cattail fungus while the flowers are still in the leaf sheath
6. in judo : an application of pressure on the jugular vein
III. adjective
Etymology: choke (I)
sports : shortening the effective length of (a bat, racket, or club)
a choke grip
: using a shortening grip
a choke hitter
IV. noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, perhaps from Old Norse kjālki jawbone; akin to kjölr keel — more at keel
chiefly Scotland : jaw , cheek , neck — usually used in plural
V. intransitive verb
: to lose one's composure and fail to perform effectively in a critical situation