Antonyms for choking


Grammar : Verb
Spell : choh-king
Phonetic Transcription : ˈtʃoʊ kɪŋ


Definition of choking

Origin :
  • c.1300, transitive, "to strangle;" late 14c., "to make to suffocate," of persons as well as swallowed objects, a shortening of acheken (c.1200), from Old English aceocian "to choke, suffocate" (with intensive a-), probably from root of ceoke "jaw, cheek" (see cheek (n.)).
  • Intransitive sense from c.1400. Meaning "gasp for breath" is from early 15c. Figurative use from c.1400, in early use often with reference to weeds stifling the growth of useful plants (a Biblical image). Meaning "to fail in the clutch" is attested by 1976, American English. Related: Choked; choking. Choke-cherry (1785) supposedly so called for its astringent qualities. Johnson also has choke-pear "Any aspersion or sarcasm, by which another person is put to silence." Choked up "overcome with emotion and unable to speak" is attested by 1896. The baseball batting sense is by 1907.
  • verb smother, block
Example sentences :
  • But I could not speak; I could only gape, choking and giddy.
  • Extract from : « The Bacillus of Beauty » by Harriet Stark
  • How long do you suppose, sir, that an hour is to a man who is choking for want of air?'
  • Extract from : « Little Dorrit » by Charles Dickens
  • He tried to loosen his neck-band; it seemed to be choking him.
  • Extract from : « The Gentleman From Indiana » by Booth Tarkington
  • (aside to her son) Choking the cratur is with the words he can't get out.
  • Extract from : « Tales And Novels, Volume 8 (of 10) » by Maria Edgeworth
  • Choking, he managed with numbed fingers to screw his helmet on.
  • Extract from : « Pirates of the Gorm » by Nat Schachner
  • Wilbert felt very much like choking with vexation and grief.
  • Extract from : « Harper's Young People, October 26, 1880 » by Various
  • The silence of the garden was broken now by a distant, choking snore.
  • Extract from : « Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930 » by Various
  • Sputtering and choking for breath, Rawson came to the surface.
  • Extract from : « Two Thousand Miles Below » by Charles Willard Diffin
  • Choking for air, I felt the pressure relax and scrambled to my knees.
  • Extract from : « Astounding Stories of Super-Science September 1930 » by Various
  • She felt as if she were choking somehow, and removed the foulard that she wore about her neck.
  • Extract from : « The Downfall » by Emile Zola

Synonyms for choking

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019