as in muttering
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as in stuttering
to speak with many pauses and repetitions
He stammers when he's nervous.
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Recent Examples of stammering
Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
The stammering old man is trying to be a Tamburlaine.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Adjective
Even characters like Lauren Domingue — sweet, stammering, fearful Lauren, who is not boring, and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise!
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2025
The stammering old man is trying to be a Tamburlaine.
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Probst glides through his dialogue for the day in a single take, without stopping or even stammering.
—David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stammering
Verb
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On a collaborative record where slurred Mandarin intersects with stuttering synths, the Chengdu rapper and his mentor interrogate the disconnect between social life and our internal worlds.—
James Gui,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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It’s equipped with a 75Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync technology to eliminate image tearing and stuttering, ensuring even fast action scenes remain seamless.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Verb
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McKellen can make a terrific meal out of just a few grunts and groans, spending whole scenes mumbling about nothing in particular; meanwhile, Coel comes across as impenetrable, yet alluringly so.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
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The van’s speakers played a high-volume mashup of construction sounds, Jordan Peterson lectures, Marine Corps drills, and mumbling voices.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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This one required extra innings and undid a late surge by their sputtering offense.—
Matt Kawahara,
Houston Chronicle,
19 Apr. 2026
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If the Jets beat Philadelphia on Saturday, Winnipeg’s locker room is going to be filled with all kinds of belief that the once sputtering Jets can make the playoffs after all.—
Murat Ates,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Far from faltering, Lip-Bu Tan, who became chief executive of Intel in March 2025, is flourishing.—
Kamal Ahmed,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
-
Milan supporters must hope that happens before the end of their faltering campaign.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Lee was hesitant to back a billionaire but said Steyer is different.—
Sophie Austin,
Fortune,
29 Apr. 2026
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And even with all that help, Kerr still sounds more hesitant than the version of himself who used to relish turning every podium into his own little bully pulpit.—
Dan Zaksheske OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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The judge in the case barred state officials from certifying the election, halting efforts to enact the new congressional map.—
Jack Birle,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Apr. 2026
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In March, Iranian attacks damaged a liquified natural gas plant in Qatar that makes helium, halting production.—
Jordan Novet,Jonathan Vanian,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Recent years have been boom times for language that is inarticulate on purpose.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
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There are a few inarticulate screams and sobs but no dialogue, no lyrics, no spoken intro, no utterances at all.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stammering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stammering. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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