mutter

verb

mut·​ter ˈmə-tər 

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

ˈmə-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms of mutter

• complain
• scream
• whine
• moan

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

On the plane, Dick clutches the slingshot and begins sweating and muttering to himself before becoming unresponsive. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 10 Nov. 2025

As for one consistent complaint heard muttered amid bleary-eyed guests of the former Standard, Schrager confirms the appropriate adjustments have been made. —Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025

But the other 3%, often muttered by students prospectively examining transfer applications, is distinct. —Noah White, Miami Herald, 30 Sep. 2025

Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance. —Matthew Shen Goodman, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English muteren, of imitative origin

First Known Use

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

Rhymes for mutter

• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• nutter
• putter
• rutter
• shutter
• sputter
• stutter
• utter

Kids Definition

mutter

verb

mut·​ter ˈmət-ər 

1

: mumble entry 1 sense 1

2

: to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble

mutter noun

mutterer

-ər-ər 

noun