Choke

• POS: Noun, Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)

CIDE DICTIONARY

Choke, v. t. [OE. cheken, choken; cf. AS. āceocian to suffocate, Icel. koka to gulp, E. chincough, cough.].

•  To render unable to breathe by filling, pressing upon, or squeezing the windpipe; to stifle; to suffocate; to strangle.  [1913 Webster]

  "With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder."  [1913 Webster]
•  To obstruct by filling up or clogging any passage; to block up.  Addison.  [1913 Webster]
•  To hinder or check, as growth, expansion, progress, etc.; to stifle.  [1913 Webster]

  "Oats and darnel choke the rising corn."  [1913 Webster]
•  To affect with a sense of strangulation by passion or strong feeling.  Swift.  [1913 Webster]
•  To make a choke, as in a cartridge, or in the bore of the barrel of a shotgun.  [1913 Webster]

To choke off, to stop a person in the execution of a purpose; as, to choke off a speaker by uproar.

Choke, v. i. 

•  To have the windpipe stopped; to have a spasm of the throat, caused by stoppage or irritation of the windpipe; to be strangled.  [1913 Webster]
•  To be checked, as if by choking; to stick.  [1913 Webster]

  "The words choked in his throat."  [1913 Webster]

Choke, n. 

•  A stoppage or irritation of the windpipe, producing the feeling of strangulation.  [1913 Webster]
•  The tied end of a cartridge.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Choke, v. & n.
--v.
1 tr. hinder or impede the breathing of (a person or animal) esp. by constricting the windpipe or (of gas, smoke, etc.) by being unbreathable.
2 intr. suffer a hindrance or stoppage of breath.
3 tr. & intr. make or become speechless from emotion.
4 tr. retard the growth of or kill (esp. plants) by the deprivation of light, air, nourishment, etc.
5 tr. (often foll. by back) suppress (feelings) with difficulty.
6 tr. block or clog (a passage, tube, etc.).
7 tr. (as choked adj.) colloq. disgusted, disappointed.
8 tr. enrich the fuel mixture in (an internal-combustion engine) by reducing the intake of air.
--n.
1 the valve in the carburettor of an internal-combustion engine that controls the intake of air, esp. to enrich the fuel mixture.
2 Electr. an inductance coil used to smooth the variations of an alternating current or to alter its phase.

Idiom

choke-chain a chain looped round a dog's neck to exert control by pressure on its windpipe when the dog pulls. choke-cherry (pl. -cherries) an astringent N. American cherry, Prunus virginiana. choke-damp carbon dioxide in mines, wells, etc. choke down swallow with difficulty. choke up block (a channel etc.).

Choke, n. the centre part of an artichoke.

Etymology

prob. confusion of the ending of artichoke with CHOKE(1)

THESAURUS

Choke

OD, asphyxia, asphyxiate, asphyxiation, bake, bang, bar, barricade, batten, batten down, be in heat, be killed, bind, blaze, block, block up, blockade, bloom, blow out, boil, bolt, broil, bung, burke, burking, burn, button, button up, caulk, charge, chink, chock, choke off, choke up, choking, clap, clog, clog up, close, close off, close tight, close up, combust, congest, constipate, constrict, contain, contract, cook, cork, cover, cram, crowd, cut off, dam, dam up, damp, debar, deny, discourage, dissuade, dog, douse, drench, drown, drowning, dumbfound, extinguish, famish, fasten, fill, fill up, flame, flame up, flare, flare up, flicker, flush, fold, fold up, foul, frustrate, fry, gag, garotte, garrote, garrotte, gasp, glow, glut, gluttonize, gorge, heap, hush, hush-hush, incandesce, jam, jam-pack, key, killing, latch, liver death, load, lock, lock out, lock up, megadeath, muffle, muzzle, obstipate, obstruct, obviate, occlude, out, overburden, overcharge, overfeed, overfill, overlade, overload, overstuff, overweight, pack, padlock, pant, parch, pile, plug, plug up, plumb, prohibit, put down, put out, put to silence, quash, quell, quench, quiet, quieten, radiate heat, repress, restrain, roast, satiate, saturate, scald, scorch, seal, seal off, seal up, secure, seethe, serum death, shimmer with heat, shush, shut, shut down on, shut off, shut out, shut the door, shut tight, shut up, silence, simmer, slack, slam, smolder, smother, smotheration, smothering, snap, snuff, snuff out, soak, soft-pedal, spark, spile, squash, squeeze, squeeze shut, squelch, stamp out, stanch, starvation, starve, stay, steam, stench, stew, stifle, stifling, still, stop, stop the breath, stop up, stopper, stopple, strangle, strangling, strangulate, strangulation, strike dumb, stuff, stuff up, suffocate, suffocation, supercharge, supersaturate, suppress, surcharge, surfeit, sweat, swelter, throttle, throttling, toast, trample out, trample underfoot, violent death, watery grave, zip up, zipper

ROGET THESAURUS

Choke

Redundancy

VB superabound, overabound, know no bounds, swarm, meet one at every turn, creep with, crawl with, bristle with, overflow, run over, flow over, well over, brim over, run riot, overrun, overstock, overlay, overcharge, overdose, overfeed, overburden, overload, overdo, overwhelm, overshoot the mark, surcharge, supersaturate, gorge, glut, load, drench, whelm, inundate, deluge, flood, drug, drug the market, hepatize, choke, cloy, accloy, suffocate, pile up, lay on thick, impregnate with, lavish, send coals to Newcastle, carry coals to Newcastle, carry owls to Athens, teach one's grandmother to suck eggs, pisces natare docere, kill the slain, gild refined gold, gild the lily, butter one's bread on both sides, put butter upon bacon, employ a steam engine to crack a nut, exaggerate, wallow in roll in, remain on one's hands, hang heavy on hand, go a begging.

Hindrance

VB hinder, impede, filibuster, impedite, embarrass, keep off, stave off, ward off, obviate, avert, antevert, turn aside, draw off, prevent, forefend, nip in the bud, retard, slacken, check, let, counteract, countercheck, preclude, debar, foreclose, estop, inhibit, shackle, restrict, obstruct, stop, stay, bar, bolt, lock, block, block up, choke off, belay, barricade, block the way, bar the way, stop the way, forelay, dam up, put on the brake, scotch the wheel, lock the wheel, put a spoke in the wheel, put a stop to, traverse, contravene, interrupt, intercept, oppose, hedge in, hedge round, cut off, inerclude, interpose, interfere, intermeddle, cramp, hamper, clog, clog the wheels, cumber, encumber, incumber, handicap, choke, saddle with, load with, overload, lay, lumber, trammel, tie one's hands, put to inconvenience, incommode, discommode, discompose, hustle, corner, drive into a corner, run foul of, fall foul of, cross the path of, break in upon, thwart, frustrate, disconcert, balk, foil, faze, feaze, feeze, baffle, snub, override, circumvent, defeat, spike guns, spoil, mar, clip the wings of, cripple, put an extinguisher on, damp, dishearten, discountenance, throw cold water on, spoil sport, lay a wet blanket, throw a wet blanket on, cut the ground from under one, take the wind out of one's sails, undermine, be in the way of, stand in the way of, act as a drag, hang like a millstone round one's neck.

Closure

VB close, occlude, plug, block up, stop up, fill up, bung up, cork up, button up, stuff up, shut up, dam up, blockade, obstruct, bar, bolt, stop, seal, plumb, choke, throttle, ram down, dam, cram, trap, clinch, put to the door, shut the door.

Killing

VB kill, put to death, slay, shed blood, murder, assassinate, butcher, slaughter, victimize, immolate, massacre, take away life, deprive of life, make away with, put an end to, despatch, dispatch, burke, settle, do for, strangle, garrote, hang, throttle, choke, stifle, suffocate, stop the breath, smother, asphyxiate, drown, saber, cut down, cut to pieces, cut the throat, jugulate, stab, run through the body, bayonet, eviscerate, put to the sword, put to the edge of the sword, shoot dead, blow one's brains out, brain, knock on the head, stone, lapidate, give a deathblow, deal a deathblow, give a quietus, give a coupe de grace, behead, bowstring, electrocute, gas, hunt, shoot, cut off, nip in the bud, launch into eternity, send to one's last account, sign one's death warrant, strike the death knell of, give no quarter, pour out blood like water, decimate, run amuck, wade knee deep in blood, imbrue one's hands in blood, die a violent death, welter in one's blood, dash out one's brains, blow out one's brains, commit suicide, kill oneself, make away with oneself, put an end to oneself, put an end to it all.