choke back one’s tears

choke Verb

— Not being able to breathe because something stops your windpipe. — To perform badly at an important part of a contest because you are fearful, especially when you are winning. — A part of a cave to be partly or completely blocked by rocks, mud, or other things. — To move your fingers very close to the tip of a pencil, brush or other art tool.

choke Noun

— A control on a carburetor to change the air or fuel mixture when the engine is cold. — In wrestling, karate, or other sports, grabbing someone in a way that can make them stop breathing. — A pressure at the muzzle part of a shotgun barrel which changes the spread of the shot. — A slight or complete block (of rocks, mud, or other things) in a cave passage.

back Preposition

— Toward the rear. He went back behind the stands. — To a place again. I didn't like it, so I sent it back. He went back to the same house. They came back again.

back Noun

— The back is the rear part of something; it is the part in the other direction from the front. I went to the back of the house. — The back is the rear part of the human body. He had a scar on his back.

back Verb

— If you back something, you support it. The Republicans backed the bill. — If you back up, you move backward. He put the car in gear and backed right into the garage door.

tears

— noun (= crying) the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds) I hate to hear the crying of a child she was in tears