mutters

1. 1
   verb

   Third-person singular simple present of mutter.

   He mutters complaints whenever the meeting runs long.

   She mutters a quick prayer before every exam.

   Note

   A present-tense verb that shares its spelling with the noun plural, so context tells them apart. It can take an object, as in "mutters a prayer" or "mutters complaints", or stand alone, as in "he mutters to himself". It does not need a human subject either. Because mutter also means making a low, rumbling noise, distant thunder or an engine can be said to mutter.

   Thunder mutters somewhere beyond the hills.

   The old engine mutters before it finally catches.

2. 2
   noun

   Plural of mutter.

   Low mutters spread through the crowd as the verdict was read.

   His sleepy mutters made no sense to anyone at the table.

   Note

   The plural treats muttering as a series of separate sounds. One mutter is a single repressed or indistinct utterance, so the plural suits a scene where many low voices are heard at once, as in a restless crowd or a grumbling room. Be careful with the lemma, though. Mutter also carries an unrelated noun meaning "peas", and it is a surname, so the plural of those shares this spelling.

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