mutter

[ muht-er ]

/ ˈmʌt ər /

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See synonyms for: mutter / muttered / muttering / mutterer on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object)

to utter words indistinctly or in a low tone, often as if talking to oneself; murmur.

to complain murmuringly; grumble.

to make a low, rumbling sound.

verb (used with object)

to utter indistinctly or in a low tone: to mutter complaints.

noun

the act or utterance of a person who mutters.

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Origin of mutter

1325–75; Middle English moteren, perhaps frequentative of moot¹ (Old English mōtian to speak); see -er⁶

synonym study for mutter

See murmur.

OTHER WORDS FROM mutter

mut·ter·er, nounmut·ter·ing·ly, adverbun·mut·tered, adjectiveun·mut·ter·ing, adjective

un·mut·ter·ing·ly, adverb

Words nearby mutter

mutism, muton, Mutsuhito, mutt, Mutt and Jeff, mutter, mutton, mutton bird, muttonbirder, mutton chop, muttonchops

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use mutter in a sentence

As Democrats mutter privately that their Senate majority is sinking beneath the waves, their leadership has sent out an SOS.
The Only Way for Democrats to Win|Jonathan Alter|October 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But when you do so, make sure to mutter the appropriate things about poverty, “the empire,” and the scourge of “neoliberalism.”
The Stupidest Hugo Chávez Hagiographies From the Yanquis Who Loved Him|Michael Moynihan|March 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The theory here seems to be that to mutter about the jews off the record would be perfectly fine.
Who's Afraid of 'the Israel Lobby'?|David Frum|February 2, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In Germany, die Mutter has been known to graduate from a promising career to welfare to stay with her children.
The Book for Angry Moms|Eric Pape|March 29, 2010|DAILY BEAST

He fired with an accuracy of aim that won him an admiring mutter, although to miss would have been almost as noteworthy.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
"It's not Joan I've killed at any rate," I heard him mutter as she turned and opened her eyes and smiled faintly up in his face.
Three More John Silence Stories|Algernon Blackwood
For all that, an occasional mutter came unheeded to his ears, the closed curtains preserving articulate sounds like room walls.
Cabin Fever|B. M. Bower
But Richard would cross himself and mutter prayers, calling on every saint to fight against the assailing devils.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis
And he in turn told a story that made men cross themselves and mutter their Glorias.
God Wills It!|William Stearns Davis

British Dictionary definitions for mutter (1 of 2)

mutter

/ (ˈmʌtə) /

verb

to utter (something) in a low and indistinct tone

(intr) to grumble or complain

(intr) to make a low continuous murmuring sound

noun

a muttered sound or complaint

Derived forms of mutter

mutterer, nounmuttering, noun, adjectivemutteringly, adverb

Word Origin for mutter

C14 moteren; related to Norwegian (dialect) mutra, Old High German mutilōn; compare Old English mōtian to speak

British Dictionary definitions for mutter (2 of 2)

Mutter

/ (ˈmʊtə) /

noun

Anne-Sophie. born 1963, German violinist

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

mutter

Origin of mutter

synonym study for mutter

OTHER WORDS FROM mutter

Words nearby mutter

Words related to mutter

How to use mutter in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for mutter (1 of 2)

Derived forms of mutter

Word Origin for mutter

British Dictionary definitions for mutter (2 of 2)