choking

Pronunciation: /ˈt͡ʃoʊkɪŋ/

Reading level: hard

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a condition caused by blocking the airways to the lungs (as with food or swelling of the larynx)
  2. noun the act of suffocating (someone) by constricting the windpipe
  3. verb breathe with great difficulty, as when experiencing a strong emotion

Etymology

By surface analysis, choke + -ing.

In classic literature

Semantic network

Broader (hypernyms)
disorder

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