stutter
Americanverb (used with or without object)
-
stutters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
stuttered,
past participle, past
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stuttering
present participle
noun
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stutters
plural
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
-
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
-
has stutteredperfect
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am stutteringprogressive
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are stutteringprogressive
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is stutteringprogressive
-
have been stutteringperfect progressive
-
has been stutteringperfect progressive
Past
-
stutteredsimple
-
had stutteredperfect
-
was stutteringprogressive
-
were stutteringprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
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
The actor also lived with a stutter, later advocating the cause as a spokesperson for the Stuttering Foundation of America.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 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
Interestingly, whenever I was in character doing voices, my stutter disappeared.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
It’s funny, I’ve never noticed before, but Sam doesn’t stutter when he sings.
From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle
—European equities were mixed in early trade as a rally in technology stocks stutters.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
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 ● Feb. 3, 2026
The game played well too, with no visible stutters or freezes - though this is surely to be expected for something that doesn't have the same graphical demands as modern titles.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2025
He stutters and struts downcourt as if he’s on a playground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 11, 2025
He snorts and stutters and his spit flies around the room.
From "Angela's Ashes: A Memoir" by Frank McCourt
Micron stock has stuttered in recent weeks but Mizuho's Vijay Rakesh is confident it will only be a blip.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
European equities fell in opening trade as a rally in technology stocks stuttered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
“He could barely speak, he stuttered, had headaches, felt like he was choking,” she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
While luxury consumption in Europe and the United States has been driven by pandemic-era savings, Chinese consumers have spent more frugally as the post-Covid recovery has stuttered.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Isa’s heart stuttered as Benny took a deep breath.
From "The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street" by Karina Yan Glaser
Built around a stuttering, jazzy chord progression, Stand On It was one of the standouts on KWN's debut EP, With All Due Respect, released last June.
From BBC ● Jun. 26, 2026
SoftBank shares have declined by more than a fifth in the last five trading sessions as speculation about its difficulty in raising a loan coincides with some stuttering in the overall narrative forAI-related technology stocks.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
Asian equities went into reverse Friday on continued worries about the AI trade after disappointing forecasts from chip titan Broadcom, while investors were also keeping a wary eye on stuttering Middle East peace efforts.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
The returns of Danni Wyatt-Hodge from maternity leave and Nat Sciver-Brunt from injury cannot come soon enough for England's stuttering top order.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
No, she thought, her heart stuttering in panic.
From "Six of Crows" by Leigh Bardugo
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.
