stammer
verb (used without object)
to speak with involuntary breaks and pauses, or with spasmodic repetitions of syllables or sounds.
stammering
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present participleof stammer.present participle
A verb form that is used in progressive verb constructions and may also function as a modifier or a gerund.
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a word derived from
stammer.
stammerverb (used without object)to speak with involuntary breaks and pauses, or with spasmodic repetitions of syllables or sounds.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
This sends the oh-so-polite Higgins into a stammering fit: “Not similar. Sorry. What happened here was much worse. Much, much worse. Much, much, much, much, much, I can’t stop saying much for some reason.”
From Salon ● Aug. 7, 2026
After one of his sketches, the actual Sid Caesar might ever so briefly, in a stammering voice, appear before a commercial break to say: “We’ll be right back.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
That’s why, despite all of our biological programming and lived experience, a random question or interaction with a child will sometimes knock you on your back and leave you stammering.
From Salon ● Nov. 5, 2025
Before the premiere, they were chauffeured around in festival-sponsored BMWs and now their friends are stammering how much they like their shoes.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 18, 2025
When she had finished she waited, as though for a reply, and I remember blushing scarlet, stammering some sort of thanks in return, and dropping both my gloves in my confusion.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
