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Glite Dictionary
chokehold of stress

chokehold of stress

8.8
A strong feeling of worry that makes it hard to breathe or think
  • noun
  • Informal
translation icon : estrés abrumador
  • Many people experience the chokehold of stress when balancing demanding jobs and personal responsibilities.

Examples

  • The chokehold of stress left him exhausted and unable to sleep for weeks on end.

  • The chokehold of stress made it hard to breathe.

  • During her divorce, he was caught in the chokehold of stress and struggled to focus at work.

  • I felt a chokehold of stress during the exam.

  • Many people experience the chokehold of stress when balancing demanding jobs and personal responsibilities.

  • The chokehold of stress left him exhausted and unable to sleep for weeks on end.

  • During her divorce, she was caught in the chokehold of stress and struggled to focus at work.

Synonyms

strain
vschokehold of stress
  • Literature
48 3.3

A state of worry or nervousness caused by difficult situations

is stronger and feels physically constricting rather than mere emotional nervousness
high-tension situation
vschokehold of stress
5.5

A situation that feels tense and stressful and needs careful handling

is far more intense and feels physically constricting and suffocating
high-tension environment
vschokehold of stress
6.5

A situation with a lot of stress and worry that makes people feel under pressure

is more extreme and feels physically constricting rather than just ongoing pressure

Antonyms

relief
440 1.0

A feeling of comfort when pain or worry goes away

calm
52 1.0

A quiet, peaceful feeling that helps you stay steady

How Stressful

chokehold of stress
  • Informal
8.8
stress
704 2.8
strain
  • Literature
48 3.3
pressure
∞ 3.1
tension
509 3.2

Surface Forms

chokehold of stress singular
chokeholds of stress plural

Morphology

chokehold + of + stress

The meaning is directly inferable by combining 'chokehold' (a constraining, suffocating grip) with 'stress' via the standard 'X of Y' noun phrase, so a learner who knows both constituents can readily interpret it as stress that constrains or suffocates. This is a transparent, image-based metaphor that follows common compositional and cross-linguistic patterns (e.g., 'stranglehold/grip of X'), making it predictable rather than idiomatic.

Etymology

Chokehold of stress comes from a strong image: a chokehold is when an arm squeezes someone's throat so they can hardly breathe, and stress is the thing doing the squeezing. So the phrase means 'feeling so overwhelmed and trapped by stress that you can't think or relax'.