as in to stammer
to speak with many involuntary pauses and repetitions
I used to stutter when I was a child. She stutters when she gets excited.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stutter
The attack ended what had been a stuttering process of bilateral US-Iranian talks designed to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program.
—
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
So was bassist Pino Palladino, late jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, keyboardist James Poyser, and Questlove’s stuttering percussion, inspired by secret weapon, Hip-hop production game-changer J Dilla.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Characters on stage would struggle under the weight of scene-setting, or narration, storylines would stutter, feel clumsy or pleading.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
It's got 8GB RAM, which ensures multitasking never stutters, and its 13-inch Liquid Retina display is just exquisite to look at.
—PC Magazine, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stutter
Tim Lister, CNN Money, 5 Jan. 2026
So was bassist Pino Palladino, late jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, keyboardist James Poyser, and Questlove’s stuttering percussion, inspired by secret weapon, Hip-hop production game-changer J Dilla.
—Keith Murphy, VIBE.com, 12 Dec. 2025
Characters on stage would struggle under the weight of scene-setting, or narration, storylines would stutter, feel clumsy or pleading.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
It's got 8GB RAM, which ensures multitasking never stutters, and its 13-inch Liquid Retina display is just exquisite to look at.
—PC Magazine, 22 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stutter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stutter
Verb
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This leads to Gregory asking about Lord Anderson, but before Violet has even stammered her way through two words, Benedict whips in like a bat outta hell.—
Christina Grace Tucker,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2026
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Already the leaders of Europe are stammering out platitudes meant to avoid Trump’s wrath.—
Elie Mystal,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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What causes drooling There are numerous causes of drooling — some benign, others less so, experts say.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
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His first swing of spring training showcased the kind of pop that has kept the Yankees drooling.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, everyone is still running around like the Keystone Kops chasing Billie, passing an old lady in a bed eating Jell-O who mumbles something in Diné.—
Jordan Hoffman,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 Feb. 2026
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One of the reporters said Bad Bunny often mumbled through the expletives or cut off the word entirely in the show.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The videos show residents walking and at times running through the streets of Morón, in the province of Ciego de Avila, shouting anti-government slogans in the middle of a blackout late night Friday and early morning Saturday, lit up by the occasional portable lamp or the light on their phones.—
Nora Gámez Torres,
Miami Herald,
14 Mar. 2026
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The actor will shout out a number and then — in an impressive display of audience amplification by sound designer Tom Gibbons — a reply emanates back from somewhere in the theater.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The finale is an ambiguous mix of jollity and agitation, with a piccolo shrieking above a militant march.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
6 Mar. 2026
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The alternative would be to shriek at them for their hypocrisy.—
Graeme Wood,
The Atlantic,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Healthcare, recently the principal engine of American job growth, sputtered, shedding 28,000 jobs.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
10 Mar. 2026
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With the majority of their big-league starting lineup competing in the World Baseball Classic, the offense is sputtering big-time.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stutter. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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