DictionaryAI

stutter

USSTUT-ur/ˈstʌtɚ/UKSTUT-uh/ˈstʌtə/

Verbstutters, stuttering, stuttered

Noun pluralstutters

4 meanings of stutter

Practice

  1. 1
    verbtransitive or intransitive
    To repeat sounds or parts of words by mistake when you try to speak.

    Like a wheel that slips and keeps starting over before it can roll forward.

    He began to stutter when the teacher asked him a question.

    She stutters whenever she feels nervous in front of people.

    Similarstammer

    Note
  2. 2
    nouncountable
    A speech problem that makes someone repeat sounds or get stuck on words.

    Like a small bump in the road that makes you jolt before driving on smoothly.

    He has a slight stutter that shows up when he is tired.

    Speech therapy helped her control her stutter over several years.

    Similarstammer

  3. 3
    verbintransitive
    To push out gas in short, broken bursts instead of a smooth, steady flow.

    Like a faucet that spits and coughs out air before the water runs smoothly.

    The old engine stuttered before it finally died.

    Cold motors often stutter on the first try of the day.

    Similarsputter, splutter, cough, misfire, falter

    Oppositepurr, hum

    Note

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    nounobsolete
    A person who stutters when speaking.

    Similarstutterer, stammerer

    Note

Practice

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Origin

From an old English word stutten meaning to stutter. It is related to the Dutch word stotteren.