choke up — be overcome with emotion
phrasal verbB2common
to become so emotional that you can hardly speak, usually from sadness or being moved
Pattern: get / be choked up; choke up
In use
- I got a bit choked up during the speech, I won't lie.emotions
- She choked up the moment she saw her old school photos.emotions
Common mistake
Using it for literally being unable to breathe; here it means tearful.