stuttering 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of stutteringnext
as in sputtering

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stuttering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stutter
as in stammering
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

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 stuttering
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
Verb
When Nick went to present his first big case to clients and the board, he was paralyzed by stuttering, and the firm hired a vocal coach who taught him to sing through the stammer, hence the moniker. — Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 23 Oct. 2026 Some are painted with a stuttering distortion, like a computer image that’s failed to fully download. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 As Fernandes undertook his trademark run-up, Tielemans mirrored him exactly, sidestepping and stuttering in synchronisation. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Its fast 180-hertz refresh rate, paired with a 1ms response time, keeps on-screen action razor-sharp, and AMD FreeSync technology eliminates tearing and stuttering. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026 It shouldn’t be forgotten that John battled stuttering early in his life as well. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026 Strikes between the United States and Iran have been ongoing after a stuttering ceasefire. — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 31 July 2026 The track — with its croaking guitar, cymbal smashes, and stuttering vocals — sounds nothing like Brat’s gleaming, clubby gems (or the bouncy pop-punk of her 2014 LP Sucker, for that matter). — Caryn Ganz, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026 Hardly ten more minutes had passed before Dembélé scored again—this time, cutting inside and stuttering his dribble and then, having befuddled the defense, rolling the ball right past it into an open corner of the goal. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stuttering
  1. sputtering
  2. stammering
  3. faltering
  4. drooling
  5. mumbling
  6. shouting
  7. hesitant
  8. shrieking
Adjective
  • Another contentious budget decision Becerra must make soon is what to do about the sputtering bullet train.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026
  • The 2020s have been full of young artists whose brains were rewired by E+E, Chuquimamani-Condori’s early alias for sputtering patchworks of Latin electronica, and revel in semioblitz bliss.
    — Kieran Press-Reynolds, Pitchfork, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of sputtering
Verb
  • After all, some in the party are still smarting about the 2008 presidential primary and more than a few are still stammering about the 2016 one.
    — Philip Elliott, Time, 3 Aug. 2026
  • Probst glides through his dialogue for the day in a single take, without stopping or even stammering.
    — David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Definition of stammering
Adjective
  • The star rocker then insists the lake name change was a diversion from a faltering presidency.
    — Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The messages, along with public corruption and the government’s faltering response to Hurricane María, brought thousands into the streets.
    — Helena Alonso Paisley, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of faltering
Verb
  • Mix these finds into your work wardrobe or your off-duty ensembles—they’re versatile enough to do it all, and the festive palette is worth drooling over.
    — Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026
  • There was one of Melissa Gorga’s sprinkle cookies ground into the carpet, and there was Kelsey Swanson, passed out under the piano and drooling on the parquet.
    — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of drooling
Adjective
  • The stop-motion digital series about a jolly, mumbling, pint-size cook serves up a big slice of serotonin.
    — Sonal Dutt, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Definition of mumbling
Verb
  • Had likely started calling hospitals, shouting his name and description over the baby’s guttering wails, into the ears of phone operators and receptionists all over town.
    — Téa Obreht, New Yorker, 1 Nov. 2026
  • Imagine 20 figure skaters jumping simultaneously, loud pop music playing almost constantly, and coaches shouting across the ice rink.
    — Will Tizard, Variety, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of shouting
Adjective
  • That was true in its yeshiva reform efforts when hesitant and understaffed local districts were charged with investigations and, even when violations were substantiated, the schools couldn’t be closed down.
    — David Bloomfield, New York Daily News, 1 Nov. 2026
  • For the first time, in an interview, Benson was hesitant to commit.
    — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of hesitant
Verb
  • Children crowded the play areas, despite the damp, gray weather, shrieking with joy (and in one instance, crying).
    — Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 23 Oct. 2026
  • This power plant is Mercedes-AMG’s new-generation M177 EVO, enhanced and enlivened by a flat-plane crankshaft, a feature normally associated with shrieking supercar engines.
    — Howard Walker, Robb Report, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of shrieking

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Stuttering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stuttering. Accessed 5 Nov. 2026.

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