stutter

verb

stut·ter | \ˈstə-tər

stuttered; stuttering; stutters

Definition of stutter

(Entry 1 of 2)

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 old jalopy bucks and stutters uphill— William Cleary

transitive verb

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

stutter

noun

Definition of stutter (Entry 2 of 2)

1 : an act or instance of stuttering

2 : the habitual tendency to stutter had a mild stutter : stuttering

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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

My friend Sam who is a stutterer stuttered on his name when ordering a coffee at Starbucks. — Valerie Russ, Philly.com, "Did a Philly Starbucks barista mock a customer with a stutter?," 2 July 2018 My friend Sam who is a stutterer stuttered on his name when ordering a coffee at Starbucks. — Valerie Russ, Philly.com, "Did a Philly Starbucks barista mock a customer with a stutter?," 2 July 2018 Argentina made three changes in personnel from the side that stuttered to a disappointing draw against Iceland with Gabriel Mercado, Enzo Perez and Marcos Acuna coming in to replace Marcos Rojo, Lucas Biglia and Angel Di Maria. — SI.com, "Argentina 0-3 Croatia: Caballero's Blunder Costs Argentina as Croatia Qualify for Last 16," 21 June 2018 The Real Madrid man endured a difficult evening as his side stuttered to a 1-1 draw against a resilient Iran side and his penalty miss summed up his evening. — SI.com, "Gary Lineker Posts Cheeky Tweet Following Cristiano Ronaldo's Penalty Miss Against Iran," 27 June 2018 Tan Lekwijit posted Sunday on Facebook that his friend Sam stuttered when giving his name. — CBS News, "Starbucks fires Philadelphia employee accused of mocking stuttering customer," 5 July 2018 My friend Sam who is a stutterer stuttered on his name when ordering a coffee at Starbucks. — Valerie Russ, Philly.com, "Did a Philly Starbucks barista mock a customer with a stutter?," 2 July 2018 But before long, the tempo started to stutter and swim, and the drummer and bandleader Dan Weiss nudged the group toward a harsh and forbiddingly loud climax. — Hank Shteamer, New York Times, "Dan Weiss’s Starebaby Mines the Loud Ground Where Jazz and Metal Meet," 29 Mar. 2018 The song is stark, layered, discordant, stuttering rhythmically. — Walton Muyumba, latimes.com, "Detachment and dreaming in 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' by Ottessa Moshfegh," 12 July 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

So, simply being nervous doesn’t make someone stutter. — Char Adams, PEOPLE.com, "5 Common Myths About Stuttering Debunked (It's Not Psychological!)," 18 June 2018 Bailey, who was just 9 when Moochie, then 22, stabbed his victim, developed a severe stutter when his brother went away. — John Eligon, New York Times, "After His Brother Commits Murder, a Journalist Revisits Their Childhood," 6 July 2018 Next is an extended, percussive-heavy take from Latroit with plenty of strange synth stutter. — Kat Bein, Billboard, "deadmau5's 'mau5ville: level 1' Brings A Range Of Sounds, Emotions: Listen," 13 July 2018 An Facebook user claiming to be a friend of Sam's posted that the employee made fun of the stutter even before getting the cup. — Fox News, "Philly Starbucks barista accused of making fun of stuttering customer: report," 4 July 2018 Jorgensen stutter-steps, shoots, and Subasic dives and pulls off another save! — Victor Mather, New York Times, "Shootout Sunday: Croatia Follows Russia’s Lead and Wins on Penalty Kicks," 3 July 2018 Rossoni referred to are the April 12 arrests of two black men who were sitting in a Center City location of the coffee chain and a June incident in which a man with a stutter was reportedly mocked by a barista. — Katherine Nails, Philly.com, "Consumers, coffee shops see changes after Starbucks incidents - but will they last?," 10 July 2018 Another Philadelphia-area Starbucks is in hot water after a barista allegedly mocked a customer with a stutter. — Monica Rodriguez, Fortune, "Starbucks Barista Accused of Mocking Customer's Stutter Is Fired," 6 July 2018 Starbucks said an employee in Philadelphia has been fired after reportedly mocking a customer with a stutter. — BostonGlobe.com, "Wynn Resorts losing high-profile general counsel," 5 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stutter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.