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

In the weeks since the truce was reached, life has begun to stutter back to normal in Tyre, where tens of thousands of residents have returned to the coastal city. —Euan Ward, New York Times, 25 Dec. 2024

First, the hard cut: Samuel in a medium shot, shirtless, standing alone in the frame, as those stuttering first notes and thumping synth line drop in. —Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 25 Dec. 2024

Noun

Though his team frequently cited his lifelong stutter as an explanation for his often poor performances in unscripted settings, the optics had become hard to ignore. —Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025

Like a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, sitting behind this desk in the Oval Office as president of the United States. —The New York Times, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2025

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