Curious learner introduced to throttle (8)
I believe the answer is:
strangle
'throttle' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'curious learner introduced to' is the wordplay.
'curious' becomes 'strange' (similar in meaning).
'learner' becomes 'l' (as in a learner driver with L-plates on their car).
'introduced to' means one lot of letters goes inside another.
'strange' going around 'l' is 'STRANGLE'.
(Other definitions for strangle that I've seen before include "Subdue" , "Suppress (an impulse)" , "Choke to death" , "Smother" , "Kill by throttling" .)