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throat definition

throat (t̸hrōt)

noun

  1. the front part of the neck
  2. the upper part of the passage leading from the mouth and nose to the stomach and lungs, including the pharynx and the upper larynx, trachea, and esophagus
  3. any narrow passage, part, or entrance

Etymology: ME throte < OE, akin to Ger dross(el), throat < IE *(s)treu-, swollen, stretched < base *(s)ter-, stiff > stare

transitive verb

Archaic to pronounce or sing in the throat, i.e., with a harsh, guttural quality
throat Idioms

cut each other's throats

Informal to ruin each other, as by underselling in business

cut one's own throat

Informal to be the means of one's own ruin

jump down someone's throat

Informal to attack or criticize someone suddenly and violently

ram something down someone's throat

to force someone to accept, hear, etc. something

stick in one's throat

to be hard for one to say, as from reluctance

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms throat idiom

medical throat definition - medical

throat Synonyms

throat

n.

neck, windpipe, larynx, trachea, esophagus, jugular region, gullet, gorge, jugulum.

cut each other's throats*

ruin each other, fight, feud; see destroy 1.

cut one's own throat*

harm oneself, damage oneself, ruin oneself, cause one's own destruction, act contrary to one's best interest; see also commit suicide at commit, damage 1.

ram down someone's throat*

impose, pressure, coerce; see force 1.

stick in one's throat*

be difficult to say, not come easily, be disturbing; see disturb 2.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

throat Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • slit: Soon, they all lay dead at her feet, their throats all neatly slit into macabre grins across their necks.

Adjective modifier

  • sore: Poor little Annie Davies was absent from school with a sore throat which led to her funeral just 8 days later!

Modifies a noun

  • swab: Therefore their presence on throat swab cultures is normal; finding them in cultured blood samples is highly significant.

Noun used with modifier

  • strep: If OCD results from a strep throat infection, the symptoms seem to start quickly, probably within one or two weeks.
throat usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

throat quotes

If growing up is painful for the Southern Black girl, being aware of her displacement is the rust on the razor that threatens the throat.

-Angelou, Maya originally MayaJohnson

After all, it is not where one washes one's neck that counts but where one moistens one's throat.

-Barnes, Djuna

Ask me no more whither dost haste The nightingale when May is past; For in your sweet dividing throat She winters, and keeps warm her note.

-Carew,Thomas

throat quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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"throat." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/throat>

APA Style

throat. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/throat

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