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.
to utter (something) in a low and indistinct tone
(intr) to grumble or complain
(intr) to make a low continuous murmuring sound
See murmur.
1325–75; Middle English moteren, perhaps frequentative of moot ( Old English mōtian to speak); see -er 6
When you mutter, you mumble under your breath, often in an angry way. You might mutter to yourself as you clean graffiti off your garage, for example. An irritable teenager might mutter when her parents make her get off the couch and mow the lawn, and your uncle might mutter at the television every night when he watches the news. When someone mutters, she speaks in a low voice, either to herself or to another person. Mutter was originally moteren in the fourteenth century, and it comes from a Proto-Indo-European root, mut, which was most likely imitative — in other words, it sounds like its meaning.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They grads are also primed to boo any speakers who so much as mutter the words “artificial intelligence.”
From Slate ● May 20, 2026
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 ● Feb. 21, 2026
When Musk makes the same prediction, analysts roll their eyes and mutter about missed timelines.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 15, 2026
You’ll watch Rex Ryan pick apart your decisions and mutter to yourself: Rex Ryan?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 14, 2026
I mutter the last part under my breath.
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
A group of prominent musicians, including the conductor Simon Rattle, the pianist Martha Argerich and the violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter published a statement on Thursday condemning the hall, saying it was capitulating to protesters.
From New York Times ● May 16, 2024
Andy Mutter, 50, from Weymouth, Dorset, said the challenge at Corfe Castle was also to mark St George's Day.
From BBC ● Apr. 23, 2023
There is nothing specific in the concerto for Mutter, although I wonder whether it on some level may pay tribute to André Previn, who was one of Williams’ oldest friends and died in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2022
French conductor Stéphane Denève will lead this all-star birthday bash featuring Yo-Yo Ma, Steven Spielberg, Anne-Sophie Mutter and others.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 3, 2022
“Why, thank you. Mutter always praises my sharp mind.”
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
The man and woman walk by me as the man mutters, “You people are crazy” and other words people don’t usually say on the streets of Pella.
From Slate ● Oct. 22, 2025
When he mutters aloud what he is thinking about Shane — “Daughter married an idiot” — all hell breaks loose, prompting Rhys to flee without explanation or apology.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2025
“Dude, let’s just go,” mutters a guy to his friend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2024
Ms. Carson, who is wearing a black lacy gown, mutters, “Oh God, whatever,” as she waves her arms in exasperation.
From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
"No school," he mutters and taps his cane angrily on the sidewalk.
From "The Sky at Our Feet" by Nadia Hashimi
"Hoodlums," muttered 80-year-old village chief Joseph Batangouna as he walked past a group of young people sitting by the side of road in Mayitoukou, Congo-Brazzaville.
From Barron's ● Mar. 14, 2026
“After overhearing a passionate ideological dispute around her own kitchen table between the future Nobel laureate for literature and his radical friends from the University of Chicago, she muttered: ‘Smart, smart, smart.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 17, 2025
Some faculty and staff reacted with horror, others voiced increasing fear about the ongoing assault on academic freedom, and some merely muttered in sad resignation to the new reality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
Head in hands, eight-year-old Timmy muttered to himself as he tried to beat a robot powered by artificial intelligence at a game of chess.
From BBC ● Mar. 10, 2025
He was angry and muttered something about me and his daughters.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
Who knew that one of the Minions was originally meant to star in “Citizen Kane”? Apparently he was fired after muttering something like “Oh, pop” instead of “Rosebud.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026
Later, as the King closed out his speech, one of his final lines prompted some muttering – of both agreement and concern – from the Democratic side.
From BBC ● Apr. 28, 2026
If this conflict is sustained, economists are muttering about growth being perhaps just half of the 1.1% the Office for Budget Responsibility predicted for this year - or even less.
From BBC ● Mar. 13, 2026
Outside the Capitol, I kept walking and muttering to myself.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2026
He stomped up a flight of stairs, muttering to himself.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
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.
