clear one's throat

verb

To forcibly, sometimes mutedly, expel air from one's lungs, sometimes to clear mucus, sometimes to attract attention to something; less vigorously than to cough.

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Meanings

verbclear one's throat (third-person singular simple present clears one's throat, present participle clearing one's throat, simple past and past participle cleared one's throat)

present singular third person clears one's throat · participle present clearing one's throat · participle past cleared one's throat · past cleared one's throat

  1. To forcibly, sometimes mutedly, expel air from one's lungs, sometimes to clear mucus, sometimes to attract attention to something; less vigorously than to cough.

Translations

Arabic تَنَحْنَحَ
  • تَنَحْنَحَ (tanaḥnaḥa)to forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Chinese Mandarin 清嗓子
  • 清嗓子 (qīng sǎngzi)to forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Czech odkašlat si, odkašlávat si
  • odkašlat sito forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • odkašlávat sito forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Danish rømme
  • rømmeto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Dutch zijn keel schrapen
  • zijn keel schrapento forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Finnish rykiä, kakoa
  • rykiäto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • kakoato forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • kakistellato forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
French se racler la gorge
  • se racler la gorgeto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
German sich räuspern
  • sich räuspernto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Hungarian köszörüli a torkát, megköszörüli a torkát
  • köszörüli a torkátto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • megköszörüli a torkátto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Icelandic ræskja sig
  • ræskja sigto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Indonesian mendeham
  • mendehamto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Irish do scornach a réiteach
  • do scornach a réiteachto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Italian schiarirsi la gola
  • schiarirsi la golato forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Latin screō, cōnscreor
  • screōto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • cōnscreorto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Māori wharo, whawharo
  • wharoto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • whawharoto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • wharowharoto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Norwegian kremte, rømme
  • kremteto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • rømmeto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Polish odchrząknąć, odchrząkiwać
  • odchrząknąćto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • odchrząkiwaćto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Russian прочищать горло
  • прочищать горло (pročiščatʹ gorlo)to forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Slovak odkašlať si
  • odkašlať sito forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Spanish carraspear, aclararse la voz
  • carraspearto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • aclararse la vozto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • destoserseto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Swedish harkla
  • harklato forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Vietnamese tằng hắng, đằng hắng
  • tằng hắngto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • đằng hắngto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • dặng hắngto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
  • hắng giọngto forcibly expulse air from one's lungs
Cite this entry
APA

clear one's throat. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20one's%20throat

MLA

“clear one's throat.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20one's%20throat. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “clear one's throat,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/clear%20one's%20throat.

Source: clear one's throat on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.