/ ˈstæmə(r); NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb
to speak with difficulty, repeating sounds or words and often stopping, before saying things correctly
SYN stutter :
[ v ]
Many children stammer but grow out of it.
[ v speech ]
'W-w-what?' he stammered.
[ vn ]
She was barely able to stammer out a description of her attacker.
► stam·mer·er noun
■ noun
[ sing. ] a problem that sb has in speaking in which they repeat sounds or words or often pause before saying things correctly
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WORD ORIGIN
late Old English stamerian , of West Germanic origin; related to stumble . The noun dates from the late 18th cent.