stutter

1 of 2

verb

stut·​ter ˈstə-tər How to pronounce stutter (audio)
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 uphillWilliam Cleary

transitive verb

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

stutter

2 of 2

noun

1
: an act or instance of stuttering
2
: the habitual tendency to stutter
had a mild stutter
: stuttering

Examples of stutter in a Sentence

Verb I used to stutter when I was a child. She stutters when she gets excited.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Phillips stuttered through hysterical sobs to tell Horner she’d been raped. Gina Barton, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2024 Authorities are meanwhile grappling with the latest crises amid mounting social frustration with China’s stuttering economy and the broader direction of the country – and as local governments strapped with high levels of debt are tasked with recovery efforts. Simone McCarthy, CNN, 22 July 2024
Noun
There’s an occasional stutter effect on the TCL, more pronounced judder, and more sense of resolution loss from panel blur. John Archer, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 After 20 minutes, stutters grew frequent and the phone got incredibly hot. Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 21 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for stutter 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stutter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

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

First Known Use

Verb

1566, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of stutter was in 1566

Dictionary Entries Near stutter

Cite this Entry

“Stutter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stutter. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

stutter

1 of 2 verb
stut·​ter ˈstət-ər How to pronounce stutter (audio)
: to speak in an uneven way with involuntary repeating or interruption of sounds
stutterer noun

stutter

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of stuttering
2
: a speech disorder involving stuttering

Medical Definition

stutter

1 of 2 intransitive verb
stut·​ter ˈstət-ər How to pronounce stutter (audio)
: 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

2 of 2 noun
1
: an act or instance of stuttering
2
: the habitual tendency to stutter
had a mild stutter
: stuttering sense 2
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!