stammering 1 of 2

adjective

as in muttering

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stammering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stammer
as in stuttering
to speak with many pauses and repetitions He stammers when he's nervous.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stammering
Adjective
Even characters like Lauren Domingue — sweet, stammering, fearful Lauren, who is not boring, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025 The stammering old man is trying to be a Tamburlaine. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Probst glides through his dialogue for the day in a single take, without stopping or even stammering. — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stammering
  1. stuttering
  2. mumbling
  3. sputtering
  4. faltering
  5. hesitant
  6. halting
  7. inarticulate
Adjective
  • Windows Vista and its early WDDM woes had reduced my previously badass main PC with two Nvidia 7900GT cards in SLI to a stuttering BSOD-spitting mess, and the future of Microsoft OSes looked bleak—Windows 7 wouldn’t be along to change the situation for years.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
Definition of stuttering
Verb
  • Later that day, Rowley was drenched in sweat, rocking back and forth and mumbling incoherently as the poison – later identified as Novichok, a Russian nerve agent – took hold of him, too.
    — Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Next up, maybe lawmakers can do something about overly soft, mumbling dialogue preceded by deafening explosions.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 25 June 2026
Definition of mumbling
Adjective
  • Their biggest bats were sputtering, too.
    — Brendan Kuty, New York Times, 24 May 2026
  • This one required extra innings and undid a late surge by their sputtering offense.
    — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of sputtering
Adjective
  • As its stock languishes below its IPO price — at press time, $131 — short sellers are going all in against the company, hoping to make a killing off of CEO Elon Musk’s faltering pull on investors.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 16 July 2026
  • His visit comes as interlocutors try to revive the faltering diplomatic process after recent strikes between the US and Iran.
    — Rhea Mogul, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
Definition of faltering
Adjective
  • Nguyen was excited to enjoy a warm summer outdoors before the smoke left her hesitant to step outside for her routine runs to the National Mall and daily walks with her dog.
    — Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
  • At the time, the now Academy Award-winning director had just three films on his résumé, and unlike Nolan’s typically eager actors, Freeman was hesitant to take the part.
    — Emma Urdangen, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of hesitant
Adjective
  • Previous talks on a deal to ensure people and goods could keep flowing across the border had made halting progress.
    — Suman Naishadham, Los Angeles Times, 15 July 2026
  • Biden's halting gait, frail appearance and frequent verbal stumbles eventually doomed his 2024 reelection campaign.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 July 2026
Definition of halting
Adjective
  • Simpson, butched up and closed off and vibrating with inarticulate pain, is superb in the part, and Jimenez’s rigid shoulders and frozen face are wrenching.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
  • Yet masculinism also functions as a perpetual-motion machine of grievance, an inarticulate howl of anguish at the status quo—whatever that currently is.
    — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 14 May 2026
Definition of inarticulate

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Cite this Entry

“Stammering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stammering. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on stammering

Nglish: Translation of stammering for Spanish Speakers

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