A choke is when your airway gets blocked and it's hard to breathe. This can happen for many reasons, like choking on food or being unable to get enough oxygen.
When people say "choke" in a different way, they're talking about a feeling of pressure that stops you from doing something. For example, if you're nervous before an exam, you might feel a sense of choke – like you can't breathe properly because the situation is so overwhelming. This kind of choking can happen when you're under stress or anxiety.
How common is "choke"?
Word choke is considered uncommon in modern English. It appears most frequently in fiction texts and less often in other writings.
Definitions
noun
A control on a carburetor to adjust the air/fuel mixture when the engine is cold.
In wrestling, karate (etc.), a type of hold that can result in strangulation.
A constriction at the muzzle end of a shotgun barrel which affects the spread of the shot.
A partial or complete blockage (of boulders, mud, etc.) in a cave passage.
The mass of immature florets in the centre of the bud of an artichoke.
Choking coil
A major mistake at a crucial stage of a competition because one is nervous, especially when one is winning.
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verb
To be unable to breathe because of obstruction of the windpipe (for instance food or other objects that go down the wrong way, or fumes or particles in the air that cause the throat to constrict).
Example: Ever since he choked on a bone, he has refused to eat fish.
To prevent (someone) from breathing or talking by strangling or filling the windpipe.
Example: The collar of this shirt is too tight; it’s choking me.
To obstruct (a passage, etc.) by filling it up or clogging it.
Example: to choke a cave passage with boulders and mud
To hinder or check, as growth, expansion, progress, etc.; to kill (a plant by robbing it of nutrients); to extinguish (fire by robbing it of oxygen).
To perform badly at a crucial stage of a competition because one is nervous, especially when one is winning.
Example: He has a lot of talent, but he tends to choke under pressure.
To move one's fingers very close to the tip of a pencil, brush or other art tool.
To be checked or stopped, as if by choking
To check or stop (an utterance or voice) as if by choking.
To have a feeling of strangulation in one's throat as a result of passion or strong emotion.
To give (someone) a feeling of strangulation as a result of passion or strong emotion.
To say (something) with one’s throat constricted (due to emotion, for example).
To use the choke valve of (a vehicle) to adjust the air/fuel mixture in the engine.
(of a duct) To reach a condition of maximum flowrate, due to the flow at the narrowest point of the duct becoming sonic (Ma = 1).
To make a choke, as in a cartridge, or in the bore of the barrel of a shotgun.
