# stutter

Pronunciation: US say "STUT-ur" /ˈstʌtɚ/; UK say "STUT-uh" /ˈstʌtə/

## Verb

1. To speak with a spasmodic, involuntary repetition of vocal sounds, especially at the start of words.
   - Simple: To repeat sounds or parts of words by mistake when you try to speak.
   - _Children sometimes stutter when they are tired or overly excited._
   - _He tends to stutter on words that begin with hard consonants._
3. Of a motor or vent, to expel gas with difficulty rather than in a smooth, continuous flow.
   - Simple: To push out gas in short, broken bursts instead of a smooth, steady flow.
   - _The rocket's thrusters stutter as the last of the fuel burns away._
   - _The engine began to stutter as it ran low on fuel._

## Noun

2. A speech disorder marked by the involuntary repetition or prolonging of sounds and syllables.
   - Simple: A speech problem that makes someone repeat sounds or get stuck on words.
   - _A noticeable stutter made him dread reading aloud in class._
   - _Her stutter faded after months of practice with a speech therapist._

## Noun

4. A person who stutters; one given to halting, repeated speech. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: A person who stutters when speaking.

## Origin

From Middle English stutten or stoten, meaning "to stutter," which is cognate with Dutch stotteren ("stutter").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/stutter (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).