Stutter

//ˈstʌtɚ// noun, verb

noun, verb ·Uncommon ·College level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    A speech disorder characterized by stuttering.
  2. 2
    a speech disorder involving hesitations and involuntary repetitions of certain sounds wordnet
  3. 3
    One who stutters. obsolete

    "1626, Francis Bacon, Sylva Sylvarum, London: William Lee, IV. Century, p. 103, And many Stutters (we finde) are very Cholericke Men; Choler Enducing a Drinesse in the Tongue."

Verb
  1. 1
    To speak (words) with a spasmodic repetition of vocal sounds. ambitransitive

    "He stuttered a few words of thanks."

  2. 2
    speak haltingly wordnet
  3. 3
    To expel a gas with difficulty. intransitive

    "I was stuttering after the marathon."

Antonyms

All antonyms

Example

More examples

"When she began to stutter, her classmates couldn't help laughing."

Etymology

From Middle English stutten, stoten (“stutter”); cognate with Dutch stotteren (“stutter”).

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.