Choke - Definition

n 1: a coil of low resistance and high inductance used in
electrical circuits to pass direct current and attenuate
alternating current [syn: choke, choke coil, choking
coil]
2: a valve that controls the flow of air into the carburetor of
a gasoline engine
v 1: breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a
strong emotion; "She choked with emotion when she spoke
about her deceased husband"
2: be too tight; rub or press; "This neckband is choking the
cat" [syn: choke, gag, fret]
3: wring the neck of; "The man choked his opponent" [syn:
choke, scrag]
4: constrict (someone's) throat and keep from breathing [syn:
choke, strangle]
5: struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake; "he
swallowed a fishbone and gagged" [syn: gag, choke,
strangle, suffocate]
6: fail to perform adequately due to tension or agitation; "The
team should have won hands down but choked, disappointing the
coach and the audience"
7: check or slow down the action or effect of; "She choked her
anger"
8: become or cause to become obstructed; "The leaves clog our
drains in the Fall"; "The water pipe is backed up" [syn:
clog, choke off, clog up, back up, congest,
choke, foul] [ant: unclog]
9: impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of;
"The foul air was slowly suffocating the children" [syn:
suffocate, stifle, asphyxiate, choke]
10: become stultified, suppressed, or stifled; "He is
suffocating--living at home with his aged parents in the
small village" [syn: suffocate, choke]
11: suppress the development, creativity, or imagination of;
"His job suffocated him" [syn: suffocate, choke]
12: pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and
functions necessary to sustain life; "She died from cancer";
"The children perished in the fire"; "The patient went
peacefully"; "The old guy kicked the bucket at the age of
102" [syn: die, decease, perish, go, exit, pass
away, expire, pass, kick the bucket, cash in one's
chips, buy the farm, conk, give-up the ghost, drop
dead, pop off, choke, croak, snuff it] [ant: be
born]
13: reduce the air supply; "choke a carburetor" [syn: choke,
throttle]
14: cause to retch or choke [syn: gag, choke]