stutter

1 of 2

verb

stut·​ter ˈstə-tər 

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 uphill

—William Cleary

transitive verb

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

stutterer

ˈstə-tər-ər 

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

Photo: Iglesias Más / Courtesy of El Deseo Pedro Almodóvar’s first full-length English feature stutters a bit at the outset. —Taylor Antrim, Vogue, 29 Sep. 2024

Phillips stuttered through hysterical sobs to tell Horner she’d been raped. —Gina Barton, USA TODAY, 26 Sep. 2024

Noun

The word becomes like a bud, as if the stutter has yet to bloom. —Wren Sanders, Them, 27 Sep. 2024

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

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

Phrases Containing stutter

• stutter step

Kids Definition

stutter

1 of 2 verb

stut·​ter ˈstət-ər 

: to speak in an uneven way with involuntary repeating or interruption of sounds

stutterer

-ər-ər 

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 

: 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