stutter

American  

[stuht-er] / ˈstʌt ər /

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.

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noun

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

stutter British  

/ 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

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noun

1. the act or habit of stuttering

2. a stuttering sound

stutter Scientific  

/ stŭt′ər /

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

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Usage

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.

Related Words

See stammer.

Other Word Forms

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

Etymology

Origin of stutter

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

Example Sentences

Despite a stuttering group campaign, Brook's side are returning to the venue where they swept a T20 series against Sri Lanka 3-0 this month on the eve of the T20 World Cup.

From Barron's

The 22-year-old said it was important not to dwell on England's stuttering group stage campaign and move on.

From Barron's

Jacks took the game by the scruff of the neck after England stuttered to 105-5 in the 13th over.

From Barron's

England travel north on a run of 12 straight wins, while Scotland's stuttering form from the autumn continued as they were edged out by Italy in Rome.

From BBC

Russia's economy grew by one percent in 2025, President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, marking a much slower expansion compared to the 2024 figure as it stutters under the burden of the Ukraine war.

From Barron's

Related Words

• sputter
• stammer