stutter

verb

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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

Other Words from stutter More Example Sentences Phrases Containing stutter Learn More About stutter

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 Even when the characters are engaged in small talk or office gossip at a Christmas party or saying empty sentiments, the music betrays their inner desires and agonies as the protagonists hem, haw, stutter and interrupt each other. — Bill Hirschman, Sun Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2022 Globally, 70 million people stutter, including President Joe Biden, who has spoken publicly about being mocked by classmates and a nun in Catholic school for his speech impediment. — Laura Ungar, ajc, 19 Feb. 2022 Doing all this on the UI thread is bad for app performance since any hangups will make your app stutter. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, 10 Feb. 2022 Exactly how much will this scene stutter in Infinite's PC version? — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 7 Dec. 2021 In Facebook's Horizon Workrooms app for Oculus—a virtual-reality Zoom rival—having just 16 participants causes the system to stutter. — David Meyer, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2021 TVs with fast response times—like high-end LCDs and especially OLEDs—have less of a ghosting trail but will stutter more. — Whitson Gordon, Wired, 6 Apr. 2021 Cracks stutter the hallway of a building in Yakutsk. — Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 5 Oct. 2021 Michigan may stutter early, but the Wolverines should pull away late. — Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, 2 Sep. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Interruptions anywhere along this articulation pathway can impair the utterance, and create something like a stutter. — Karen Hopkin, Scientific American, 13 Apr. 2022 Moments in which Deathloop would otherwise exceed 30 fps stutter more often when the Deck's macro-level frame-rate cap is enabled. — Sam Machkovech, Ars Technica, 25 Feb. 2022 On a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, Brooks stutter-stepped by a couple defenders and shed one weak arm tackle on the way to the end zone. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, 30 Dec. 2021 Simon has not totally overcome his stutter in the book series, and it’s not Lady Danbury who helps him. — Leah Campano, Seventeen, 24 Mar. 2022 This intro remains one of Grimes’ most sublime creations, an intricate, stutter-stepping pattern that ends humbly, with the gentlest of cymbal flourishes. — Elias Leight, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2021 Pierce, listed at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, stutter-stepped past the cornerback in front of him before making a move to the outside. — Bobby Nightengale, The Enquirer, 21 Dec. 2021 Living with a stutter hasn’t been easy, Brayden said, recalling a particularly difficult moment years ago when he got caught on words reciting the Gettysburg address in class, then went home and cried. — Laura Ungar, ajc, 19 Feb. 2022 Living with a stutter hasn’t been easy, Brayden said, recalling a particularly difficult moment years ago when he got caught on words reciting the Gettysburg address in class, then went home and cried. — Laura Ungar, courant.com, 19 Feb. 2022 See More

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.