mutter
Americanverb (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)
noun
verb
-
to utter (something) in a low and indistinct tone
-
(intr) to grumble or complain
-
(intr) to make a low continuous murmuring sound
noun
noun
Related Words
See murmur.
Other Word Forms
- mutterer noun
- muttering noun
- mutteringly adverb
- unmuttered adjective
- unmuttering adjective
- unmutteringly adverb
Etymology
Origin of mutter
1325–75; Middle English moteren, perhaps frequentative of moot ( Old English mōtian to speak); -er 6
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.
Looking up toward the heavens, Mama closed her eyes and muttered something that no one could have understood.
From Literature
He muttered some words, and his eyes got big and glassy.
From Literature
Outside the Capitol, I kept walking and muttering to myself.
From Los Angeles Times
The locals in their working-class part of the city of Sahiwal mutter that Zeba is living under a curse after her previous suitors died in mysterious circumstances.
From Barron's
“That’s easy for you to say,” he muttered in a huff.
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
