stutter

verb stut·ter \ ˈstə-tər \

|Updated on: 5 Jun 2018

Examples: stutter in a Sentence

Definition of stutter

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 old jalopy bucks and stutters uphill
—William Cleary

transitive verb

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

—

stutterer

play \ˈstə-tər-ər\ noun

See stutter defined for English-language learners

See stutter defined for kids

Examples of stutter in a Sentence

I used to stutter when I was a child.
She stutters when she gets excited.

Recent Examples of stutter from the Web

For years, the cult of Musk persevered even as his electric vehicle company stuttered in its efforts to meet production and delivery deadlines for its limited-quantity luxury vehicles like the Model S and Model X.

— johana bhuiyan, Recode, "Tesla still isn’t shipping its $35,000 Model 3 — and Elon Musk keeps shifting his production targets," 22 May 2018
No more stinging eyes, stuttered excuses, and chafed-raw fingers.

— andrew joseph, For The Win, "A reminder that Kyle Korver has the NBA's craziest workout regimen," 21 May 2018
Among the appealing chintzy synthesizers, this is an example of how Davis could say so much with only restrained, stuttering notes, never wandering the fretboard needlessly.

— morgan enos, Billboard, "Reggie Lucas Dead at 65: 11 of His Essential Cuts as a Jazz Sideman," 21 May 2018
The following day, Priests put even more anger into their songs, which could veer from the good-time vibe of surf rock to scrappy, stuttering anthems aimed at confronting the listener.

— todd martens, latimes.com, "Rock 'n' roll may be pushed aside, but it isn't dead yet," 16 Apr. 2018
But Lindsey Horan stuttered on her penalty kick attempt and the shot was stopped by Bledsoe.

— tim brown, OregonLive.com, "Tobin Heath returns as Portland Thorns settle for 1-1 draw with Washington Spirit," 20 Apr. 2018
Before a phalanx of cameras, she and another student stuttered through a retelling of their escape.

— joe parkinson, WSJ, "The American Ordeal of the Boko Haram Schoolgirls," 13 Apr. 2018
Jeff VanderMeer’s novel of the same name stutters slightly to its end, with a completely different plot tie-up.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Annihilation Is a Brilliant Splicing of Woolf With Cronenberg," 27 Feb. 2018
Many wondered if Liverpool's attack would stutter following the departure of Coutinho early this week.

— USA TODAY, "Nine minutes of mayhem ends Manchester City's 'Invincibles' bid," 14 Jan. 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.

Origin and Etymology of stutter

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1566

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

stutter

noun

Definition of stutter

1 : an act or instance of stuttering

2 : the habitual tendency to stutter

had a mild stutter

: stuttering

See stutter defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of stutter from the Web

The informant was one part of the early, stutter-stop efforts to investigate possible collusion.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "What You Need to Know About the FBI’s Trump-Campaign Informant," 19 May 2018
The chanting in the middle of the song is haunting, evoking a timeless feeling that is then sharply punctuated by the modern production techniques that drop a stutter into the music.

— refinery29.com, "New Music To Know This Week: Arctic Monkeys, Towkio With SZA, & The Beths," 11 May 2018
FreeSync reduces screen tearing for a smoother gaming experience with less stutter and input lag.

— ian paul, PCWorld, "Get an LG 29-inch Ultrawide FreeSync monitor for under $200 with this code," 8 May 2018
He was taught never to stutter-step — just run right on through to maintain maximum speed.

— jeff sanders, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Padres' Skip Schumaker still setting the example," 18 Mar. 2018
Neighborhood kids taunted him because of his stutter, while older boys recruited him to snatch purses and steal from stores.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "He hit bottom on Charlotte's streets. His long rebound is about to come full circle. | Charlotte Observer," 3 May 2018
Alongside this stutter-free tech, Microsoft is also supporting automatic switching to a TV’s game mode.

— tom warren, The Verge, "Xbox One April update rolling out with low-latency mode, FreeSync, and 1440p support," 24 Apr. 2018
That version, unsurprisingly, was far from optimized, as evidenced by horrific frame rate stutters and frequent crashes, and we weren't surprised to learn shortly afterward that its console launch was delayed a few months.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Final Fantasy XV for Windows should have been a mess, but it’s the opposite," 7 Mar. 2018
Where other truly wireless earbuds have routinely experienced audio stutters, dropouts, and disconnects on busy streets, those annoyances were incredibly rare with the Jabras.

— chris welch, The Verge, "Jabra Elite 65t review: the best AirPods alternative," 17 Apr. 2018

First Known Use of stutter

1651

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

STUTTER Defined for English Language Learners

stutter

verb

Definition of stutter for English Language Learners

: to have a speech problem that causes you to repeat the beginning sound of some words

stutter

noun

Definition of stutter for English Language Learners

: a speech problem that causes someone to repeat the beginning sounds of some words

STUTTER Defined for Kids

stutter

verb stut·ter \ ˈstə-tər \

Definition of stutter for Students

stuttered; stuttering

: to speak or say with involuntary repetition or interruption of sounds

stutter

noun

Definition of stutter for Students

: the act or an instance of speaking with involuntary repetition or interruption

Medical Dictionary

stutter

intransitive verb stut·ter \ ˈstət-ər \

medical Definition of stutter

: 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

noun

medical Definition of stutter

1 : an act or instance of stuttering

2 : the habitual tendency to stutter

had a mild stutter

: stuttering 2

Learn More about stutter

See words that rhyme with stutter Spanish Central: Translation of stutter Nglish: Translation of stutter for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of stutter for Arabic speakers

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stutter

Definition of stutter

stutterer

Examples of stutter in a Sentence

Recent Examples of stutter from the Web

Origin and Etymology of stutter

stutter

Definition of stutter

Recent Examples of stutter from the Web

First Known Use of stutter

STUTTER Defined for English Language Learners

stutter

Definition of stutter for English Language Learners

stutter

Definition of stutter for English Language Learners

STUTTER Defined for Kids

stutter

Definition of stutter for Students

stutter

Definition of stutter for Students

Medical Dictionary

stutter

medical Definition of stutter

stutter

medical Definition of stutter

Learn More about stutter

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