choke up
phrasal verb
choked up; choking up; chokes up
1
: to have trouble talking because of crying or strong emotion
He chokes up whenever he tries to talk about the accident.
2
baseball
: to move one's hands to a higher position on a baseball bat
—often + on
He choked up on the bat and took a short swing.
Examples of choke up in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Discussing this scene, which took place 37 minutes into the first episode, is the only time that Graham gets choked up during
our conversation.
—
Emily Longeretta, Variety, 22 May 2025
O’Neil lets the shot go on for an uncomfortably long time, his sobs audible and LaBeouf silently choking up onscreen.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2025
During the Mass, Leo appeared to choke up when the two potent symbols of the papacy were placed on him — the lambswool stole over his shoulders and the fisherman’s ring on his finger — as if the weight of responsibility of leading 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide had just sunk in.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
But, save for choking up during the first lecture, Dr. Lin remained steadfastly upbeat, even cracking jokes.
—Rachel Bujalski, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for choke up
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Emily Longeretta, Variety, 22 May 2025
O’Neil lets the shot go on for an uncomfortably long time, his sobs audible and LaBeouf silently choking up onscreen.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2025
During the Mass, Leo appeared to choke up when the two potent symbols of the papacy were placed on him — the lambswool stole over his shoulders and the fisherman’s ring on his finger — as if the weight of responsibility of leading 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide had just sunk in.
—Nicole Winfield, Los Angeles Times, 18 May 2025
But, save for choking up during the first lecture, Dr. Lin remained steadfastly upbeat, even cracking jokes.
—Rachel Bujalski, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for choke up
Cite this Entry
“Choke up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/choke%20up. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.
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