mutter

verb

mut·​ter ˈmə-tər 

muttered; muttering; mutters

intransitive verb

1

: to utter sounds or words indistinctly or with a low voice and with the lips partly closed

… he gestured and muttered furiously in his lawyer's ear.

—Tana French

2

: to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble

Some employees muttered about the changes in the pension plan.

transitive verb

: to utter especially in a low or imperfectly articulated manner

muttered an apology

mutter noun

mutterer

ˈmə-tər-ər 

noun

Synonyms

• beef
• bellyache
• bitch
• bleat
• carp
• caterwaul
• complain
• crab
• croak
• fuss
• gripe
• grizzle
• grouch
• grouse
• growl
• grumble
• grump
• holler
• inveigh
• keen
• kick
• kvetch
• maunder [chiefly British]
• moan
• murmur
• nag
• repine
• scream
• squawk
• squeal
• wail
• whimper
• whine
• whinge [British]
• yammer
• yawp
• yaup
• yowl

Examples of mutter in a Sentence

She angrily muttered something about her bad luck.

She sat practicing her speech, muttering to herself.

Some employees are muttering about the changes in the pension plan.

Recent Examples on the Web

Elder economists muttered darkly of ancient times when the CPI rose by double digits, yet many a year had passed with no inflation sightings. —Kevin Coldiron, Forbes, 29 Nov. 2024

But when the man asked Valdivia for money on the train, the agent said no and the man muttered expletives while walking away, prosecutors said, according to NBC Washington. —Antonio Planas, NBC News, 26 Nov. 2024

When Valdivia declined to give him any money, the man allegedly muttered expletives before turning away. —Landon Mion, Fox News, 26 Nov. 2024

Musicians must become actors playing roles, hollering certain motifs and muttering others. —Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English muteren, of imitative origin

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Kids Definition

mutter

verb

mut·​ter ˈmət-ər 

1

: mumble entry 1 sense 1

2

: to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble

mutter noun

mutterer

-ər-ər 

noun