choke back
phrasal verb
choked back; choking back; chokes back
: to have difficulty not showing or expressing (tears, rage, anger, etc.)
He was choking back tears as he talked about his late wife.
She struggled to choke back her anger as she listened to their criticisms.
Examples of choke back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Asked whether his father could have foreseen what his turnpike dream had become, Charlie Costar Jr. choked back tears.
—
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
Jill Biden—who reportedly gave her husband some of the worst advice of this American century, already somehow a quarter spent—looked stricken, and sometimes seemed, at least to my eyes, to be choking back tears.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
At that point, Robert appeared to once again choke back tears but pulled himself together.
—Rachel Desantis, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
Even before his name was announced, McClenaghan had to choke back tears.
—Will Graves, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2024
Leyland, choking back tears throughout his speech, thanked every player who played for him in the majors or the minors.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 21 July 2024
The Best Photos from Cannes 2024, Updated Daily Celebs Overcome with Emotion
The festival started on an emotional note when Juliette Binoche failed to choke back tears while presenting Meryl Streep with the honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony.
—Carita Rizzo, Peoplemag, 25 May 2024
Kelly choked back tears after leaving the courtroom.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 29 Apr. 2024
The crooner continued to share details about the bar, while the CNN anchor had to move away from the camera, choking back tears from laughter.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
Jill Biden—who reportedly gave her husband some of the worst advice of this American century, already somehow a quarter spent—looked stricken, and sometimes seemed, at least to my eyes, to be choking back tears.
—Vinson Cunningham, The New Yorker, 20 Jan. 2025
At that point, Robert appeared to once again choke back tears but pulled himself together.
—Rachel Desantis, People.com, 28 Nov. 2024
Even before his name was announced, McClenaghan had to choke back tears.
—Will Graves, Chicago Tribune, 3 Aug. 2024
Leyland, choking back tears throughout his speech, thanked every player who played for him in the majors or the minors.
—Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 21 July 2024
The Best Photos from Cannes 2024, Updated Daily Celebs Overcome with Emotion
The festival started on an emotional note when Juliette Binoche failed to choke back tears while presenting Meryl Streep with the honorary Palme d’Or at the opening ceremony.
—Carita Rizzo, Peoplemag, 25 May 2024
Kelly choked back tears after leaving the courtroom.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 29 Apr. 2024
The crooner continued to share details about the bar, while the CNN anchor had to move away from the camera, choking back tears from laughter.
—Tatiana Tenreyro, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Choke back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choke%20back. Accessed 16 Mar. 2025.
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