stutter

speak in such a way that the rhythm is interrupted by repetition, blocks, or spasms, or prolongations of sounds and syllables along with contortions of the face and body; distorted speech [Both stammer and stutter mean to speak with difficulty. Stammer suggests inarticulate sounds or interrupted speech caused by excitement, embarrassment, confusion, or other emotion that may require special treatment to correct. Stutter designates a broad range of speech defects. It is the term that is preferred in technical usage: His stutter was more than merely a stammer of embarrassment.]

Not to be confused with:

stammer – speak with involuntary breaks and pauses or with spasmodic repetitions of syllables or sounds; pause, hesitate, falter

stut·ter

(stŭt′ər)

intr. & tr.v. stut·tered, stut·ter·ing, stut·ters

To speak or utter with a spasmodic repetition or prolongation of sounds.

The act or habit of stuttering.

[Frequentative of dialectal stut, from Middle English stutten.]

stut′ter·er n.

stut′ter·ing·ly adv.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

stutter

(ˈstʌtə)

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.

3. the act or habit of stuttering

4. a stuttering sound

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

ˈstutterer n

ˈstuttering n, adj

ˈstutteringly adv

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

stut•ter

(ˈstʌt ər)

v.i.

1. to speak with the rhythm interrupted by repetitions, blocks or spasms, or prolongations of sounds or syllables.

2. to proceed or operate with spasmodic interruptions or repetitions.

v.t.

3. to say with a stutter.

4. an act or instance of stuttering.

5. speech characterized by blocks or spasms interrupting the rhythm.

[1520–30; earlier stut (Middle English stutten to stutter) + -er⁶; compare Dutch stotteren, Middle Low German stotern in same sense]

stut′ter•er, n.

stutter

Past participle: stuttered
Gerund: stuttering

Imperative
stutter
stutter

Present
I stutter
you stutter
he/she/it stutters
we stutter
you stutter
they stutter

Preterite
I stuttered
you stuttered
he/she/it stuttered
we stuttered
you stuttered
they stuttered

Present Continuous
I am stuttering
you are stuttering
he/she/it is stuttering
we are stuttering
you are stuttering
they are stuttering

Present Perfect
I have stuttered
you have stuttered
he/she/it has stuttered
we have stuttered
you have stuttered
they have stuttered

Past Continuous
I was stuttering
you were stuttering
he/she/it was stuttering
we were stuttering
you were stuttering
they were stuttering

Past Perfect
I had stuttered
you had stuttered
he/she/it had stuttered
we had stuttered
you had stuttered
they had stuttered

Future
I will stutter
you will stutter
he/she/it will stutter
we will stutter
you will stutter
they will stutter

Future Perfect
I will have stuttered
you will have stuttered
he/she/it will have stuttered
we will have stuttered
you will have stuttered
they will have stuttered

Future Continuous
I will be stuttering
you will be stuttering
he/she/it will be stuttering
we will be stuttering
you will be stuttering
they will be stuttering

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been stuttering
you have been stuttering
he/she/it has been stuttering
we have been stuttering
you have been stuttering
they have been stuttering

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been stuttering
you will have been stuttering
he/she/it will have been stuttering
we will have been stuttering
you will have been stuttering
they will have been stuttering

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been stuttering
you had been stuttering
he/she/it had been stuttering
we had been stuttering
you had been stuttering
they had been stuttering

Conditional
I would stutter
you would stutter
he/she/it would stutter
we would stutter
you would stutter
they would stutter

Past Conditional
I would have stuttered
you would have stuttered
he/she/it would have stuttered
we would have stuttered
you would have stuttered
they would have stuttered

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

stutter

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

stutter

verb

To introduce involuntary repetitions and pauses into one's speech:

noun

A speech impediment marked by involuntary repetitions and pauses:

Translations

koktatkoktavost

stammetalefejl

änkyttääänkytys

mucati

stamstama

どもる

말을 더듬다

mikčius

stostīšanāsstostīties

koktavosť

jecljanjejecljati

stamma

ติดอ่าง

nói lắp

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

stutter

(= advance slowly) to stutter on/along → entlangstottern; (fig, reform) → sich dahinquälen

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

stutter

(ˈstatə) verb

to stammer. He stutters sometimes when he's excited; `I've s-s-seen a gh-gh-ghost,' he stuttered.

noun

a stammer. He has a stutter.

ˈstutterer noun

a person who has a stammer.

stutter

→ يَتَلَعْثَمُ koktat stamme stottern κεκεδίζω balbucear änkyttää bégayer mucati balbettare どもる 말을 더듬다 stotteren stamme jąkać się gaguejar заикаться stamma ติดอ่าง kekelemek nói lắp 口吃着说

stut·ter

vi. tartamudear.