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choke

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The definition of choke is to cut off oxygen, to be unable to breath, to block something, to become unable to perform at a crucial point.

(verb)

When you strangle someone, this is an example of when you choke him.
When you swallow wrong and you cannot breathe, this is an example of when you choke.
When traffic clogs the roads and makes driving impossible, this is an example of when traffic chokes the road.
When you make a mistake in a crucial moment in a sports event because you are nervous, this is an example of when you choke.

See choke in Webster's New World College Dictionary

transitive verb choked, choking

to prevent from breathing by blocking the windpipe or squeezing the throat of; strangle; suffocate; smother; stifle
to block up; obstruct by clogging
to hinder the growth or action of; smother; suppress
to fill up
to cut off some air from the carburetor of (a gasoline engine) in order to make a richer gasoline mixture
☆ to hold (a bat, golf club, etc.) away from the end of the handle and closer toward the middle

Origin: ME choken, aphetic < OE vt. aceocian, to choke, prob. < base of ceoke, jaw, cheek

intransitive verb

to be suffocated; have difficulty in breathing
to be blocked up; be obstructed
to become strained with emotion: a choked voice
Informal to be unable to perform efficiently, as in a sporting event, because of tension, strong emotion, etc.

noun

the act of choking; strangulation
a sound of choking
the valve that chokes a carburetor
a constriction, as in a chokebore

See choke in American Heritage Dictionary 4

verb choked choked, chok·ing, chokes

verb, transitive

To interfere with the respiration of by compression or obstruction of the larynx or trachea.
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.
To reduce the air intake of (a carburetor), thereby enriching the fuel mixture.
Sports To grip (a bat or racket, for example) at a point nearer the hitting surface.

verb, intransitive

To have difficulty in breathing, swallowing, or speaking.
To become blocked up or obstructed.
Sports To shorten one's grip on the handle of a bat or racket. Often used with up.
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.

noun

The act or sound of choking.
a. Something that constricts or chokes.
b. A slight narrowing of the barrel of a shotgun serving to concentrate the shot.
A device used in an internal-combustion engine to enrich the fuel mixture by reducing the flow of air to the carburetor.
The fibrous inedible center of an artichoke head.

Phrasal Verbs: 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.

Origin:

Origin: Middle English choken

Origin: , short for achoken

Origin: , from Old English āceōcian

Origin: : ā-, intensive pref.

Origin: + cēoce, cēace, jaw, cheek

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