English · Phrasal verb Attested

choke up

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Sense 1

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To (temporarily) lose one's power of speech, because of strong emotion.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Mất khả năng nói vì cảm xúc mạnh

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Where it’s used: Used American English

Hearing that song always makes me choke up.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To cause (a person) temporarily to lose the power of speech, because of strong emotion.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Làm cho ai đó mất khả năng nói vì cảm xúc mạnh

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

Both English Tiếng Việt

Meaning · English

To cease talking.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Ngừng nói

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).

What does “choke up” mean?

To (temporarily) lose one's power of speech, because of strong emotion.

Is “choke up” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.