choked back
Stifled rising emotion
To choke back is to suppress or restrain an emotion threatening to express itself: She choked back tears as she said goodbye, He choked back his anger and responded calmly.
The image is of something rising in the throat that must be forced down.
The emotions most often choked back are tears, sobs, and laughter.
- bottle upSuppress emotions internally
- whisperedSpoke without full voice
- suppressForcibly put an end to
- mutteredSpoke barely audibly
- swallowSend down the throat
stifle · restrained · muffled · murmured · faltered · held in · contain · tamp down · gagged · quavered · stammered · throttle · gasped · subdue · curb · hesitated · gulped · silenced