CHOKING (BACK) Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

choking (back)

verb

Definition of choking (back)

present participle of choke (back)

as in stifling

to refrain from openly showing or uttering choked back a sarcastic reply to an insulting question

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for choking (back)

Verb

Most critically, the stifling political atmosphere Xi has created is draining Beijing’s ability to respond to emerging problems as earlier generations once did.

— Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026
The government has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech.

— Clyburn Saint John, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of stifling

Verb

Bolsonaro argues Brazil's hefty national debt is holding back the economy and a top campaign adviser has pledged to reduce it by slashing spending along the lines of Argentina's Javier Milei.

— Catherine Osborn, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026
Quick wins will not fix the structural flaws holding back growth.

— DAN RESTREPO, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

Definition of holding back

Verb

After decades of repression, Egyptians were shaken by the brutal 2010 torture and killing of Khaled Saeed, a 28-year-old from Alexandria, who the police claimed had died after swallowing a packet of drugs.

— Abdelrahman ElGendy, Time, 6 Oct. 2026
Sherrilyn Ifill, former head of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and one of the film’s most prominent legal voices, says DuVernay was unusually good at keeping all that expertise from swallowing the movie.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026

Definition of swallowing

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Browse Nearby Words

choking

choking (back)

choking off

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“Choking (back).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/choking%20%28back%29. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of choking (back)

verb

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