stammer

American  

[stam-er] / ˈstæm ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to speak with involuntary breaks and pauses, or with spasmodic repetitions of syllables or sounds.

   Synonyms:

   falter, hesitate, pause

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verb (used with object)

1. to say with a stammer (often followed byout ).

noun

1. a stammering mode of utterance.

2. a stammered utterance.

stammer British  

/ ˈstæmə /

verb

1. to speak or say (something) in a hesitant way, esp as a result of a speech disorder or through fear, stress, etc

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noun

1. a speech disorder characterized by involuntary repetitions and hesitations

Usage

What does stammer mean? To stammer is to speak with involuntary breaks or pauses or involuntarily repeated words or parts of words. In text, it is often represented with hyphens, as in s-s-s-safe to represent a struggle to pronounce the s- sound.A stammer is a way of speaking with a stammer, as in Kim spoke with a stammer, but it didn’t define him.To stammer is also to say something with a stammer, as in Lawrence was so nervous during his presentation that he stammered out the first part of his speech.Stutter is a synonym of stammer and is preferred in technical usage.Example: Everytime we have to present to the board, I get so nervous that I start to stammer.

Related Words

Stammer, stutter mean to speak with some form of difficulty. Stammer, the general term, suggests a speech disfluency that results in broken or inarticulate sounds and sometimes in complete stoppage of speech; it may be temporary, caused by sudden excitement, confusion, embarrassment, or other emotion, or it may be persistent and require speech therapy for its correction. Stutter, the parallel term preferred in technical usage, designates a broad range of speech production disturbances that produce spasmodic interruptions of the speech rhythm, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds or syllables: The child's stutter was no mere stammer of embarrassment.

Other Word Forms

• stammerer noun
• stammering noun
• stammeringly adverb
• unstammering adjective
• unstammeringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of stammer

First recorded before 1000; Middle English verb stammeren, Old English stamerian (cognate with German stammern ), equivalent to stam “stammering” + -erian -er ⁶; akin to Old Norse stamma “to stammer,” Gothic stams “stammering”

Example Sentences

Now, Gellar has made a more ceremonious return, albeit with a frustrating stop-and-start stammer.

From Salon • Mar. 26, 2026

The 28-year-old tells BBC Newsbeat she is "on a high" after being the first contestant to have a stammer.

From BBC • Jan. 19, 2026

The 28-year-old has a stammer and in episode one said introducing herself was "one of the biggest tests ever".

From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026

After an intentionally pregnant pause, Robyn’s vocal is chopped and edited into a confused stammer before she resumes the song’s mantra: “I-I-I, I like to go out, wear something nice and push!”

From Salon • Jan. 10, 2026

I'm going to stammer worse than I've ever stammered in my life.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Related Words

• sputter
• wobble