stutter

/ˈstʌdər/

/ˈstʌtə/

Other forms: stuttering; stuttered; stutters

If you've ever heard a young child stammer and trip over his words, you know what it means to stutter.

Use the verb stutter when someone gets stuck on certain word sounds, either because she's speaking too quickly or eagerly, or because she has an actual speech disorder, also called a stutter. The word itself is somewhat onomatopoeic — a word that sounds like what it means — with its repeated t sounds. Stutter is thought to be related to the Middle Low German word stoten, "to knock or strike against," which is the way a stutterer's words sometimes sound.

Definitions of stutter

1. verb

   speak haltingly
   synonyms: bumble, falter, stammer

   type of:

   mouth, speak, talk, utter, verbalise, verbalize

   express in speech
2. noun

   a speech disorder involving hesitations and involuntary repetitions of certain sounds
   synonyms: stammer

   type of:

   defect of speech, speech defect, speech disorder

   a disorder of oral speech