stutter

[stuht-er]

verb (used with or without object)

1. to speak in such a way that the rhythm is interrupted by repetitions, blocks or spasms, or prolongations of sounds or syllables, sometimes accompanied by contortions of the face and body.

noun

1. disordered speech production characterized principally by blocks or spasms interrupting the rhythm.

stutter

/ ˈstʌtə /

verb

1. to speak (a word, phrase, etc) with recurring repetition of consonants, esp initial ones

2. to make (an abrupt sound) repeatedly

   the gun stuttered

noun

1. the act or habit of stuttering

2. a stuttering sound

stutter

1. A speech disorder characterized by spasmodic repetition of the initial consonant or syllable of words and frequent pauses or prolongation of sounds.

Other Word Forms

• stutterer noun
• stutteringly adverb
• unstuttered adjective
• unstuttering adjective
• stuttering noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of stutter¹

First recorded in 1520–30; earlier stut ( Middle English stutten “to stutter”) + -er ⁶; compare Dutch stotteren, Middle Low German stotern in the same sense

Word History and Origins

Origin of stutter¹

C16: related to Middle Low German stötern, Old High German stōzan to push against, Latin tundere to beat

Synonym Study

See stammer.

Example Sentences

Inter Milan were handed a 2-1 win at Verona by a late own goal on Sunday to move to within a point of stuttering Serie A leaders Napoli.

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But even then, there was a feeling the seven-time winners had left plenty of runs out there having stuttered slightly after the fantastic platform built by Litchfield.

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The aforementioned demolition of South Africa was followed by the stuttering win over Bangladesh, largely with thanks to the help of DRS.

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England have overcome some stutters with the bat during the tournament, notably against weaker opponents Bangladesh and Pakistan, but have also shown improvement under pressure by edging past co-hosts India in a four-run thriller.

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It was a chaotic and potentially ominous afternoon from start to finish for Celtic against Dundee as their stuttering season continued with a first defeat at Dens Park since 1988.

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Related Words

• sputter 
• stammer 

When To Use

What does stutter mean?

Stutter is to speak in a way in which the flow of speech is interrupted by repetitions, blocks, or prolonged sounds, as in He became so nervous that he started to stutter.Stutter also refers to this distortion of speech, as in My uncle was talking to the man with a stutter.The most commonly known form of stuttering is repetitions, either of partial words, as in I n-n-n-need water, or entire words, as in My-my-my back hurts.Two other forms of stuttering include prolonged sounds or syllables, as in Sssssshe is nice to me or blocks, which are stops when a person is struggling to get a word out.The word stammer is often used as a synonym for stutter, especially to describe temporary breaks in speech. However, stutter describes a wider range of speech distortions.Example: The girl hated speaking in front of the class because her shyness made her stutter and repeat her words.