choke up
phrasal verb.phrasal verb. to feel so much emotion that you find it hard to speak. You might feel like you are about to cry.
phrasal verb. to become unable to speak clearly or at all due to a strong emotional response, typically sadness or overwhelming gratitude.
He starts to choke up whenever he talks about his old dog.
The bride's father began to choke up during his speech at the wedding reception.
The veteran choked up as he recounted the harrowing details of the rescue mission to the hushed audience.
- get emotional
- tear up
- get a lump in one's throat
- keep a cool head
- stay composed
- Particles
- up
- Separability
- inseparable
- Pattern
- choke + up
usually used as an intransitive verb to describe a person's physical reaction to emotion.
contrast with 'choke' (physical blockage of the throat) to show how the particle 'up' shifts the meaning to an internal emotional state.
The sad movie made me choke.The sad movie made me choke up.without 'up', 'choke' implies you are physically unable to breathe because of an object in your throat.
Last updated April 24, 2026