choking
adjective
chok·ing ˈchō-kiŋ 
1
: producing the feeling of strangulation
a choking cloud of smog
2
: indistinct in utterance —used especially of a person's voice
a low choking laugh
chokingly
ˈchō-kiŋ-lē
adverb 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The choking pollution has become an annual phenomenon, and the country’s scientists can accurately predict the worst days. 
New York Times, 18 Nov. 2021 The pit contains persin, but, also can be a choking hazard for pets. Liam Gravvat, USA TODAY, 15 July 2022 Foot fetishes seem to suffer from a stigma that could better be applied to, say, gagging and choking fetishes, which can actually be deadly. Jenny Singer, Glamour, 21 July 2022 According to the Globe’s obituary, Richard Willett died Sunday at the age of 52 due to complications from a choking incident. Matt Doherty, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 The Heimlich maneuver is done when a pair of arms go around a choking person’s body and are placed over the abdomen, according to the NSC. Fox News, 6 July 2022 Plastic debris is ubiquitous in India: stacked along roadsides, floating in waterways and choking drainage systems. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 1 July 2022 Some dogs barely chew their food, which can lead to choking and poor digestion. Lindsay Pevny, Popular Mechanics, 24 June 2022 The most recent previous recipient was an 8-year-old Encinitas Scout Aubrey Kelsay, who, in 2015, helped save the life of a choking kindergarten teacher at her school. Diane Bellcolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2022 See More
New York Times, 18 Nov. 2021 The pit contains persin, but, also can be a choking hazard for pets. Liam Gravvat, USA TODAY, 15 July 2022 Foot fetishes seem to suffer from a stigma that could better be applied to, say, gagging and choking fetishes, which can actually be deadly. Jenny Singer, Glamour, 21 July 2022 According to the Globe’s obituary, Richard Willett died Sunday at the age of 52 due to complications from a choking incident. Matt Doherty, BostonGlobe.com, 15 July 2022 The Heimlich maneuver is done when a pair of arms go around a choking person’s body and are placed over the abdomen, according to the NSC. Fox News, 6 July 2022 Plastic debris is ubiquitous in India: stacked along roadsides, floating in waterways and choking drainage systems. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 1 July 2022 Some dogs barely chew their food, which can lead to choking and poor digestion. Lindsay Pevny, Popular Mechanics, 24 June 2022 The most recent previous recipient was an 8-year-old Encinitas Scout Aubrey Kelsay, who, in 2015, helped save the life of a choking kindergarten teacher at her school. Diane Bellcolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1556, in the meaning defined at sense 1
choking
verb
1
as in strangling
to keep (someone) from breathing by exerting pressure on the windpipe let go of my throat—you're choking me! Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- strangling
- suffocating
- throttling
- asphyxiating
- garroting
- smothering
- garotting
- stifling
- scragging
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- restoring
- reviving
- resuscitating
2
as in vomiting
to experience complete or partial blockage of the windpipe the recommended procedure for helping someone who is choking Synonyms & Similar Words
- vomiting
- gagging
- suffocating
- retching
- heaving
- smothering
- asphyxiating
- stifling
- throwing up
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- breathing
- respiring
- expiring
- inspiring
3
as in drowning
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air thick, black smoke choked the trapped firefighters Synonyms & Similar Words
- strangling
- drowning
- suffocating
- smothering
- stifling
- destroying
- asphyxiating
- throttling
- slaying
- garotting
- garroting
- dispatching
- felling
- croaking
- doing in
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- breathing
- inhaling
- expiring
- exhaling
- inspiring
- reviving
- resuscitating
4
as in obstructing
to prevent passage through by filling with something overgrown bushes choked the narrow alleyway between the buildings Synonyms & Similar Words
- obstructing
- blocking
- jamming
- clogging
- flooding
- stuffing
- filling
- congesting
- occluding
- clotting
- damming
- overwhelming
- packing
- bunging
- spiling
- glutting
- stoppering
- plugging (up)
- gumming (up)
- silting
- stopping (up)
- inundating
- corking
- swamping
- stoppling
- gridlocking
- furring
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- freeing
- clearing
- opening (up)
- unplugging
- unblocking
- unstopping
- emptying
- unclogging
- excavating
- scooping (out)
- lightening
- hollowing (out)