What does "throat" mean?

1. (anatomy) the passage in the neck through which food and air pass. 2. (front of the neck) the front part of the neck. 3. (narrow opening) a narrow passage or opening in an object, like a chimney or a bottle. 4. (botany) the opening of a tubular flower.

throat — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01anatomy

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun Medicine

n. the passage in the neck through which food and air pass.

n. the passage from the back of the mouth to the lungs and stomach, including the pharynx and esophagus.

“She had a sore throat and found it difficult to swallow her tea.”

“The doctor examined the patient's throat for signs of inflammation or bacterial infection before prescribing antibiotics.”

Synonyms

gulletpharynx

02front of the neck

B1 · Intermediate Countable noun

n. the front part of the neck.

n. the anterior portion of the neck, containing the structures for breathing and swallowing.

“He wrapped a warm scarf around his throat to protect himself from the cold wind.”

“The athlete felt a sudden constriction in his throat as the adrenaline of the final lap took hold.”

Synonyms

neck

03narrow opening

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Technology Technical

n. a narrow passage or opening in an object, like a chimney or a bottle.

n. a narrow or constricted part of a passage, vessel, or architectural feature.

“The worker cleaned the throat of the chimney to make sure the smoke could escape.”

“Engineers modified the throat of the nozzle to increase the velocity of the fluid as it exited the chamber.”

Synonyms

neck openingconstriction

04botany

C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Science Technical

n. the opening of a tubular flower.

n. the opening of a tubular corolla or calyx in a flower.

“The bee crawled deep into the throat of the flower to reach the nectar.”

“The botanical illustration clearly marked the throat of the corolla, highlighting the unique patterns that attract specific pollinators.”

Synonyms

faucesorifice

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “throat” in context.

Verb

01. clear throat

“He cleared his throat to get everyone's attention before speaking.”

verb + noun

02. clutch throat

“The actor clutched his throat to signal that he was choking.”

verb + noun

03. slit throat

“The attacker threatened to slit his throat if he moved.”

verb + noun

04. throat burns

“My throat burns every time I try to swallow food.”

noun + verb

05. throat tightens

“His throat tightened with emotion as he said goodbye.”

noun + verb

Adjective

06. dry throat

“The dusty air left him with a dry throat and a cough.”

adj + noun

07. sore throat

“I have a sore throat and a slight fever today.”

adj + noun

Noun

08. back of throat

“The medicine left a bitter taste at the back of my throat.”

noun + prep + noun

09. lump in throat

“There was a lump in her throat as she watched the plane take off.”

noun + prep + noun

10. grab someone by the throat

“The two men started fighting and one grabbed the other by the throat.”

11. have a lump in one's throat

“He had a lump in his throat while reading the letter.”

12. ram something down someone's throat

“I'm tired of him ramming his political views down my throat.”

From Middle English throte, from Old English þrote, þrota, þrotu (“throat”), from Proto-West Germanic þrotu, from Proto-Germanic þrutō (“throat”), from Proto-Indo-European *trud- (“to swell, become stiff”). Cognate with Dutch strot (“throat”), German Drossel (“throttle, gorge of game (wild animals)”), Faroese troti (“swelling”), Icelandic þroti (“swelling”), Norwegian trut (“mouth”), Swedish trut.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

NOUN

throat(B1)

ADJECTIVE

cutthroat(C1)

hoarse neck raspy