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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Even a small amount, whether inhaled or absorbed through the skin, can lead to drooling, vomiting, tremors, or difficulty breathing.—
Mary Cornetta,
Better Homes & Gardens,
3 Mar. 2026
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When the schedule dropped, network brass had to be drooling over this matchup.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
27 Feb. 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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Once the pedestrians are out of the way, the car slowly pulls into the intersection before stopping again as the HSI agents approach, shouting instructions for the driver to stop.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Mar. 2026
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As the brawl unfolded, the crowd could be heard shouting profanity.—
Alexandra Koch,
FOXNews.com,
7 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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Miami cruised into the fourth quarter with a 13-point lead at Gas South Arena in Duluth, Georgia, but sputtered and Stanford took advantage, going into a zone defense and outscoring UM 18-5 in the final stretch to force overtime.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
4 Mar. 2026
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The few cars that attempted to drive through the flood sputtered and died, bonnet-deep in swirling pondweed.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
26 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stutter. Accessed 11 Mar. 2026.
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