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throttle

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throttle¹

  • /ˈθɹɒtəl/ UK
  • [ˈθɹɒtl̩] UK
  • /ˈθɹɔtəl/ British, Southern, Standard
  • [ˈθɹɔtl̩] British, Southern, Standard
  • /ˈfɹɔtəl/ UK
  • [ˈfɹɔtl̩] ~ [ˈfɹɔʔl̩] UK
  • /ˈθɾɒtəl/ UK, Wales
  • [ˈθɾɒtl̩] UK, Wales
  • /ˈθɾɔtəl/ Scotland, UK
  • [ˈθɾɔtl̩] Scotland, UK
  • /ˈθɹɑtəl/ US
  • [ˈθɹɑɾl̩] US
  • /ˈθɹɔtəl/ Australia
  • [ˈθɹɔɾl̩] Australia
  • /ˈθɹɒtəl/ New Zealand
  • [ˈθɹɔ̟ɾl̩] ~ [ˈθɹɞ̠ɾl̩] New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɒtəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English *throtel, diminutive of throte (“throat”), equivalent to throat + -le. Compare German Drossel (“throttle”). More at throat.

noun throttles

  1. A valve that regulates the supply of fuel-air mixture to an internal combustion engine and thus controls its speed; a similar valve that controls the air supply to an engine.
  2. The lever or pedal that controls this valve. To my unpractised eye, the undulations in the track were quite imperceptible, but the engineer's hand on the throttle was never still.

    Similar: accelerator, gas pedal, gas

  3. archaic The windpipe or trachea. Then up got Peg, and round the house gan scuttle, / In search of goods her customer to nail, / Until the Sultaun strain'd his princely throttle, / And hollow'd,—"Ma'am, that is not what I ail.["]

throttle²

  • /ˈθɹɒtəl/ UK
  • [ˈθɹɒtl̩] UK
  • /ˈθɹɔtəl/ British, Southern, Standard
  • [ˈθɹɔtl̩] British, Southern, Standard
  • /ˈfɹɔtəl/ UK
  • [ˈfɹɔtl̩] ~ [ˈfɹɔʔl̩] UK
  • /ˈθɾɒtəl/ UK, Wales
  • [ˈθɾɒtl̩] UK, Wales
  • /ˈθɾɔtəl/ Scotland, UK
  • [ˈθɾɔtl̩] Scotland, UK
  • /ˈθɹɑtəl/ US
  • [ˈθɹɑɾl̩] US
  • /ˈθɹɔtəl/ Australia
  • [ˈθɹɔɾl̩] Australia
  • /ˈθɹɒtəl/ New Zealand
  • [ˈθɹɔ̟ɾl̩] ~ [ˈθɹɞ̠ɾl̩] New Zealand

Rhymes with -ɒtəl

Where it comes from

From Middle English throtlen (“to choke, strangle, suffocate”), from the noun (see above). Compare German erdrosseln (“to strangle, choke, throttle”).

verb throttles · throttling · throttled

  1. transitive To control or adjust the speed of (an engine).
  2. transitive To cut back on the speed of (an engine, person, organization, network connection, etc.).
  3. transitive To strangle or choke someone. Grant him this, and the Parliament hath no more freedom than if it sat in his noose, which, when he pleases to draw together with one twitch of his negative, shall throttle a whole nation, to the wish of Caligula, in one neck.
  4. intransitive To have the throat obstructed so as to be in danger of suffocation; to choke; to suffocate.
  5. intransitive To breathe hard, as when nearly suffocated.
  6. transitive To utter with breaks and interruption, in the manner of a person half suffocated. I have seen them shiver and look pale, Make periods in the midst of sentences, Throttle their practised accent in their fears.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: gas pedal, gun, gas, trammel, confine, accelerator, limit, restrict, strangle, choke, restrain, strangulate, bound, accelerator pedal, throttle valve, joystick

Translations

Every language

noun valve

Españolacelerador
日本語スロットル surottoru
中文風門 /风门 fēngmén, 節流閥 /节流阀 jiéliúfá
Portuguêsválvula reguladora
Françaisaccélérateur
DeutschDrossel
Italianoacceleratore, farfalla, valvola a farfalla
Русскийдро́ссель drósselʹ
עבריתמַשְׁנֵק, מַצְעֶֽרֶת

noun the lever or pedal that controls this valve

Españolacelerador
日本語アクセル akuseru, アクセレレーター akusererētā
中文油門 /油门 yóumén
Portuguêsacelerador
Françaisaccélérateur
DeutschGaspedal
Italianopedale, manetta
Русскийакселера́тор akselerátor

verb to cut back speed

Españolralentizar, limitar, lentificar, enlentecer, desacelerar, frenar
Françaislimiter
Deutschdrosseln
Italianorallentare
Русскийзамедля́ть zamedljátʹ

verb to strangle someone

Españolestrangular, sofocar
中文掐死 qiāsǐ
Portuguêsestrangular
Françaisétrangler
Deutschwürgen
Italianosoffocare
Русскийдуши́ть dušítʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"throttle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/throttle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

throttle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/throttle

Chicago

"throttle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/throttle.

BibTeX
@misc{throttle_2026,
  title = {throttle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/throttle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}