choke

B1 Topic:Actions & Processes

US /t͡ʃoʊk/ UK /t͡ʃəʊk/ See IPA manual

Minimal pairs

Sounds like soak /tʃ/ vs /s/

Freq #6683

Meanings

1

verb
To be unable to breathe because something is blocking your throat.

Ever since he choked on a fish bone, he eats fish carefully.
2

verb
To stop someone breathing by pressing on or blocking their throat.

The tight collar was almost choking him.
3

verb
To find it hard to breathe or speak because of strong emotion.

She choked up as she spoke about her late friend.
4

verb
To fail to perform well at a key moment because of nervousness.

The team should have won easily but choked in the final.

Verb forms

Verb forms are not available for this word yet.

Multiword verbs with choke

choke off Phrasal verb B1

to stop or severely restrict an activity or flow

Thesaurus

Synonyms

2 verb · to stop someone breathing... strangle suffocate throttle

Word family

Forms chokedchokeschoking

Derived forms chokablechoke-childrenchoke-dogchoke-fullchoke-holdchoke-mechoke-priestchokeberrychokeborechokecherrychokecoilchokedamp

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

choke off
to stop or severely restrict an activity or flow

Verb + adverb

Simplified etymology

Choke entered Middle English from Old English ceoce, “jaw.” The use of a related form in chock-full probably arose from the idea of being so completely filled that one is almost choking.

Etymology

From Middle English choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also achoke.

choken Middle English āċēocian Old English ċēoce Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes

External links

# choke

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** verb
**IPA (US):** /t͡ʃoʊk/
**IPA (UK):** /t͡ʃəʊk/
**Frequency rank:** 6683

## Meanings
1. To be unable to breathe because something is blocking your throat.
2. To stop someone breathing by pressing on or blocking their throat.
3. To find it hard to breathe or speak because of strong emotion.
4. To fail to perform well at a key moment because of nervousness.

## Examples
- Ever since he choked on a fish bone, he eats fish carefully.
- The tight collar was almost choking him.
- She choked up as she spoke about her late friend.
- The team should have won easily but choked in the final.

## Derived Forms
- chokable
- choke-children
- choke-dog
- choke-full
- choke-hold
- choke-me
- choke-priest
- chokeberry
- chokebore
- chokecherry
- chokecoil
- chokedamp

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: choken
- Root: āċēocian
- Root: ċēoce

## Etymology
From Middle English choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also achoke.

## AI Etymology
choke is a verb. It is from Middle English choken (also cheken), from earlier acheken, from Old English āċēocian (“to choke”), probably derived from Old English ċēoce, ċēace (“jaw, cheek”), see cheek. Cognate with Icelandic kok (“throat”), koka (“to gulp”). See also achoke. Historical forms in the chain include choken (Middle English), āċēocian (Old English), and ċēoce (Old English). Current senses include to be unable to breathe because something is blocking your throat, to stop someone breathing by pressing on or blocking their throat, and to find it hard to breathe or speak because of strong emotion. Derived forms include chokable, choke-children, choke-dog, choke-full, and choke-hold.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes

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