stutter

[ stuht-er ]

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.

noun

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

stutter

/ 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

noun

1. the act or habit of stuttering
2. a stuttering sound

stutter

/ 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.

Derived Forms

• ˈstuttering, nounadjective
• ˈstutterer, noun
• ˈstutteringly, adverb

Other Words From

• stut·ter·er noun
• stut·ter·ing·ly adverb
• un·stut·tered adjective
• un·stut·ter·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stutter¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of stutter¹

C16: related to Middle Low German stötern, Old High German stōzan to push against, Latin tundere to beat

Synonym Study

See stammer.

Example Sentences

While other eReaders can also handle PDFs, the Amazon Paperwhite does so without stutter or formatting hiccups.

From Popular-Science

Wall brought the ball up and, with Raul Neto in his sights, took a stutter step, accelerated, moved the ball behind his back then laid it in with his left hand.

From Washington Post

JaMarcus had a stutter, and they mocked him with tongue twisters.

From ProPublica

The game involved taking tiny stutter steps and long strides without altering your pace or losing your momentum, regardless of where you were going.

From Washington Post

The cutscenes pop up without a stutter and it took me just over 12 seconds to get from the menu into the game itself.

From Popular-Science

But, even with a pronounced stutter for the rest of his days, Moses survived.

From The Daily Beast

Sometimes an f-word or a b-word is used in TV and movies like a stutter.

From The Daily Beast

A thin man with a wisp of a goatee beard, he struggles with a stutter to explain what happened to him that day.

From The Daily Beast

He was a boy of 14, Chicago born and raised, with a persistent stutter left over from an early bout with polio.

From The Daily Beast

Maybe the media, and professional sports, are just several stutter-steps behind the country on this one.

From The Daily Beast

Slight stutter ensues on the part of the Four Grenadiers; but they give one another the hint, and dash forward: "Prisoners?"

From Project Gutenberg

Look at the reports: the bulletins are confused; the commentaries are entangled; the latter stammer, the former stutter.

From Project Gutenberg

It was as if two men talked, one in rapid and clear-clipped syllables—the other in a stutter.

From Project Gutenberg

His gait was a shuffling trot, his utterance a rapid stutter.

From Project Gutenberg

Dick couldn't spell his own name—couldn't answer a question without a stutter.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• sputter
• stammer

About This Word

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.

Where does stutter come from?

The first records of stutter come from around 1520. It comes from the Middle English stut.

When someone is said to have “a stutter,” this usually means the person’s speech pattern has frequent distortions. Especially in adults, this speech pattern has biological causes behind it and is often difficult or impossible to stop if it wasn’t treated as a child. A stutter does not indicate a lack of intelligence or thought.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to stutter?

• stutterer (noun)
• stuttering (noun, adjective)
• stutteringly (adverb)
• unstuttered (adjective)
• unstuttering (adjective)

What are some synonyms for stutter?

• sputter
• stammer

What are some words that often get used in discussing stutter?

• speech
• interruptions
• distortions
• repetitions
• prolongations
• blocks

How is stutter used in real life?

Many people stutter sometimes because they are nervous, but a stutter can also be a lifelong speaking disorder.

i stutter talking to attractive ppl sometimes and its so embarrassing 😭

— sydney 🕊 (@itsyddd) September 13, 2020

i stuttered when i was talking to the staples employee

— mo 🧸 (@albertcamusfan7) September 14, 2020

Stop using “did they stutter?” when you really mean to say that “they made a great point.”

It’s ableist as it implies that those of us who stutter aren’t able to portray great ideas.

— Joanna No Banana (@JoannaNoBanana) March 22, 2021

 

 

Try using stutter!

Which of the following words is a synonym of stutter?

A. whisper
B. stammer
C. shout
D. cough