mutter

verb

mut·​ter ˈmə-tər How to pronounce mutter (audio)
muttered; muttering; mutters

intransitive verb

1
: to utter sounds or words indistinctly or with a low voice and with the lips partly closed
… he gestured and muttered furiously in his lawyer's ear.Tana French
2
: to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble
Some employees muttered about the changes in the pension plan.

transitive verb

: to utter especially in a low or imperfectly articulated manner
muttered an apology
mutter noun
mutterer noun

Examples of mutter in a Sentence

She angrily muttered something about her bad luck. She sat practicing her speech, muttering to herself. Some employees are muttering about the changes in the pension plan.
Recent Examples on the Web The Sabres showed their frustration on the ice, and muttered about them afterward, all because of Oettinger. John Wawrow, USA TODAY, 7 Feb. 2024 Sitting shoulder to shoulder, muttering curses in Farsi and Pashto, our engineers had each drunk six cups of tea in less than ten minutes, hoarding an entire thermos for themselves. Jamil Jan Kochai, The New Yorker, 19 Feb. 2024 And a federal judge rebuked Trump for muttering too loudly with his lawyers. Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024 After scoffing, muttering and shaking his head throughout the first few minutes of Ms. Kaplan’s closing argument, Mr. Trump rose from the defense table without saying anything, turned and left the 26th-floor courtroom. Kate Christobek, New York Times, 26 Jan. 2024 As the lawyers discussed the boundary lines of testimony, Trump muttered loud enough for some observers in the courtroom to hear. Mark Berman, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024 Passersby peered into windows, muttering their disbelief. Angie Orellana Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2024 It can be muttered while doing the dishes, while resigning yourself to a sad airport sandwich, while popping a few Tums — basically while confronting any of the minor indignities adulthood has to offer. Chris Stanton, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2023 The cashier blinked at me and muttered how these were undershirts. Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 17 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'mutter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English muteren, of imitative origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of mutter was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near mutter

Cite this Entry

“Mutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

mutter

verb
mut·​ter ˈmət-ər How to pronounce mutter (audio)
1
2
: to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble
mutter noun
mutterer noun

More from Merriam-Webster on mutter

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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