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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 © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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