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Glite Dictionary
😰 To fail from nerves 💻 To fail from overload
to choke under pressure

to choke under pressure

5.4
Stop working or work badly when there is too much demand
  • phrasal verb
  • Specialized
translation icon : colapsar bajo presión
  • When orders doubled unexpectedly, the small courier network choked under pressure and deliveries were seriously delayed.

Examples

  • The backup generator choked under pressure during the blackout, leaving several hospital wards without electricity.

  • During the holiday sale, the website began to choke under pressure and many pages failed to load.

  • The team might choke under pressure during the finals.

  • Many players choke under pressure during important games.

  • During the holiday sale, the website began to choke under pressure and many pages failed to load.

  • The backup generator choked under pressure during the blackout, leaving several hospital wards without electricity.

  • When orders doubled unexpectedly, the small courier network choked under pressure and deliveries were seriously delayed.

Synonyms

to choke
vsto choke under pressure
  • Informal
49 6.0

To fail to perform well in an important moment because of nervousness

applies to machines and systems under heavy load or high demand

Antonyms

to function
441 2.6

To work in a particular role or job

How Well

to cope
272 2.9
to slow down
687 1.4
to falter
48 4.9
to choke under pressure
  • Specialized
5.4

Surface Forms

choke under pressure infinitive
choked under pressure past
choked under pressure past participle
choking under pressure present participle
chokes under pressure third person singular

Morphology

choke + under + pressure

The meaning is directly and transparently derived from combining 'choke' (to underperform/fail in crucial moments) with 'under pressure' (experiencing stress or heavy demand): together they straightforwardly mean 'fail because of stress'. This compositional pattern is common cross‑linguistically and follows normal English verb + prepositional‑phrase logic, so a B1 learner who knows the constituent meanings should be able to understand it.

Etymology

Choke under pressure is also used for machines or systems that stop working when too much is put on them, like a pipe that becomes blocked and no water can pass. So it means 'to fail or perform badly when there is too much demand'.