stutter
Americanverb (used with or without object)
noun
verb
-
to speak (a word, phrase, etc) with recurring repetition of consonants, esp initial ones
-
to make (an abrupt sound) repeatedly
the gun stuttered
noun
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the act or habit of stuttering
-
a stuttering sound
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.
Synonym Usage
See stammer.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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stuttersimple
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stutterssimple
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have stutteredperfect
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has stutteredperfect
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am stutteringprogressive
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are stutteringprogressive
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is stutteringprogressive
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have been stutteringperfect progressive
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has been stutteringperfect progressive
Past
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stutteredsimple
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had stutteredperfect
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was stutteringprogressive
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were stutteringprogressive
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had been stutteringperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
If you've ever heard a young child stammer and trip over his words, you know what it means to stutter. Use the verb stutter when someone gets stuck on certain word sounds, either because she's speaking too quickly or eagerly, or because she has an actual speech disorder, also called a stutter. The word itself is somewhat onomatopoeic — a word that sounds like what it means — with its repeated t sounds. Stutter is thought to be related to the Middle Low German word stoten, "to knock or strike against," which is the way a stutterer's words sometimes sound.
Vocabulary lists containing stutter
Long Way Down
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Purple Hibiscus
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Chapter 4: Mesopotamia
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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.
There is no strict definition of a stutter, but under Fifa rules, a player is allowed to stop or feint during the run-up as long as they don't do it directly before kicking the ball.
From BBC • Jul. 10, 2026
The audio has a distinctly early-2000s quality to it, reminiscent of the days when incoming calls caused nearby speakers to violently stutter.
From Slate • Jun. 20, 2026
As major U.S. stock indexes buckle and stutter, many advisors are turning their attention to moves that can help shave back tax bills for 2026 or in future years.
From Barron's • Mar. 21, 2026
As a child, I was severely dyslexic and developed a stutter.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 16, 2025
I felt my heart stutter when I remembered his arms around me.
From "A Very Large Expanse of Sea" by Tahereh Mafi
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.
