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
As childhood photos of the guys scrolled by, Richardson choked up missing some opening lyrics and Littrell pinched the bridge of his nose to prevent tears.
—
Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 13 July 2025
Just speaking of the beloved actor, who won a Tony for his performance in Hello Dolly!, had the singer getting choked up.
—Breanne L. Heldman, People.com, 9 June 2025
Lane recalls watching the play and choking up when Lavin absent-mindedly wiped off a phone receiver — her character was always cleaning — right after a wrenching phone call.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
At times Gomez choked up describing the stakes of the incident.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 12 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for choke up
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Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 13 July 2025
Just speaking of the beloved actor, who won a Tony for his performance in Hello Dolly!, had the singer getting choked up.
—Breanne L. Heldman, People.com, 9 June 2025
Lane recalls watching the play and choking up when Lavin absent-mindedly wiped off a phone receiver — her character was always cleaning — right after a wrenching phone call.
—Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
At times Gomez choked up describing the stakes of the incident.
—Boston Herald Wire Services, Boston Herald, 12 June 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 22 Jul. 2025.
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