stutter

1 of 2

verb

stut·​ter ˈstə-tər 

stuttered; stuttering; stutters

intransitive verb

1

: to speak with involuntary disruption or blocking of speech (as by repetition or prolongation of vocal sounds)

2

: to move or act in a halting or spasmodic manner

The truck stuttered through traffic …

—Melissa Dribben

transitive verb

: to say, speak, or sound with or as if with a stutter

stutterer

ˈstə-tər-ər 

noun

stutter

2 of 2

noun

1

: an act or instance of stuttering

2

: the habitual tendency to stutter

had a mild stutter

: stuttering

Examples of stutter in a Sentence

Verb

I used to stutter when I was a child.

She stutters when she gets excited.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

As Fernandes undertook his trademark run-up, Tielemans mirrored him exactly, sidestepping and stuttering in synchronisation. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Its fast 180-hertz refresh rate, paired with a 1ms response time, keeps on-screen action razor-sharp, and AMD FreeSync technology eliminates tearing and stuttering. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026

Noun

In the flickering flame of firelight, the stutters take on a zoetrope effect, creating the illusion of rhinos in motion. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

Harris was not clean-shaven and spoke with a strong stutter, yet the victim identified him as the perpetrator. — Stephanie Pappas, Scientific American, 17 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

frequentative of English dialect stut to stutter, from Middle English stutten; akin to Dutch stotteren to stutter, Goth stautan to strike — more at contusion

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing stutter

• stutter step

Rhymes for stutter

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

Kids Definition

stutter

1 of 2 verb

stut·​ter ˈstət-ər 

: to speak in an uneven way with involuntary repeating or interruption of sounds

stutterer

-ər-ər 

noun

stutter

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of stuttering

2

: a speech disorder involving stuttering

Medical Definition

stutter

1 of 2 intransitive verb

stut·​ter ˈstət-ər 

: to speak with involuntary disruption or blocking of speech (as by repetition or prolongation of vocal sounds)

transitive verb

: to say, speak, or sound with or as if with a stutter

stutter

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of stuttering

2

: the habitual tendency to stutter

had a mild stutter

: stuttering sense 2