CHOKING

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does choking mean? 

• CHOKING (noun)
  The noun CHOKING has 2 senses:

1. a condition caused by blocking the airways to the lungs (as with food or swelling of the larynx)

2. the act of suffocating (someone) by constricting the windpipe

  Familiarity information: CHOKING used as a noun is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• CHOKING (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A condition caused by blocking the airways to the lungs (as with food or swelling of the larynx)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("choking" is a kind of...):

disorder; upset (a physical condition in which there is a disturbance of normal functioning)

Derivation:

choke (breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion)

choke (struggle for breath; have insufficient oxygen intake)

choke (impair the respiration of or obstruct the air passage of)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The act of suffocating (someone) by constricting the windpipe

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

choking; strangling; strangulation; throttling

Context example:

no evidence that the choking was done by the accused

Hypernyms ("choking" is a kind of...):

asphyxiation; suffocation (killing by depriving of oxygen)

Derivation:

choke (constrict (someone's) throat and keep from breathing)

choke (wring the neck of)

 Context examples 

He closed the door behind him, and then he stood with clenched hands and heaving breast, choking down some overmastering emotion.

(The Return of Sherlock Holmes, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Signs and symptoms in a newborn with this abnormality include excessive salivation, choking, coughing, and the development of cyanosis and respiratory distress when fed.

(Esophageal Atresia, NCI Thesaurus)

Now there's no use in your choking me; I'm going to have my say.

(Martin Eden, by Jack London)

Food or small objects can cause choking if they get caught in your throat and block your airway.

(Choking, NIH)

A question about an individual's choking or coughing - such as food or liquids going down the wrong pipe at its worst.

(Choking or Coughing - Food or Liquids Going Down the Wrong Pipe at its Worst, NCI Thesaurus)

A sudden mist swam up before the young man's eyes, and he turned away upon his journey with a heavy heart and a choking throat.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

When he saw her, Arthur was simply choking with emotion, and none of us could speak.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

I was well-nigh choking, and my eyes were certainly fiery.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

“If you strike that dog again, I’ll kill you,” he at last managed to say in a choking voice.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)

Inhaled or swallowed foreign bodies may cause choking or bowel obstruction and may require medical care.

(Foreign Bodies, NIH)