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
The country music legend got choked up while speaking about the loss, nearly two months after Dean died at the age of 82.
—
Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
Dolly Parton got choked up while talking about her late husband, Carl Dean, during an on-camera interview two months after the businessman’s death.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 2 May 2025
Alesia is so happy with the gift, she gets choked up.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2025
Karen Read trial first day: John O'Keefe's mom chokes up recalling day he was killed
Witness testimony under scrutiny
Timothy Nuttall, a firefighter and paramedic who was at the scene the night of O’Keefe’s death, described arriving on the scene to find O'Keefe cold and showing no sign of life.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for choke up
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Vivian Kwarm, New York Daily News, 2 May 2025
Dolly Parton got choked up while talking about her late husband, Carl Dean, during an on-camera interview two months after the businessman’s death.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 2 May 2025
Alesia is so happy with the gift, she gets choked up.
—Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2025
Karen Read trial first day: John O'Keefe's mom chokes up recalling day he was killed
Witness testimony under scrutiny
Timothy Nuttall, a firefighter and paramedic who was at the scene the night of O’Keefe’s death, described arriving on the scene to find O'Keefe cold and showing no sign of life.
—Michael Loria, USA Today, 25 Apr. 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 9 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share