I. ˈməd.ə(r), -ətə- verb
( muttered ; muttered ; muttering -əd.əriŋ, -ətər-, -ə.tr- ; mutters )
Etymology: Middle English muteren; akin to Norwegian dialect mutra to mutter, Old High German mutilōn to murmer, Old Norse muthla, Latin muttire to mutter, mutus mute — more at mute
intransitive verb
1. : to utter indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed
mutters just before dying
2. : to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble , growl
a muttering group of workers
3. : to make a low rumbling sound : murmur continuously or rumblingly
forest noises muttering
transitive verb
1. : to utter especially in a low or imperfectly articulated manner
mutter an answer
2. : to sound reverberatingly
a fog horn muttering danger
II. noun
( -s )
1. : a subdued scarcely audible utterance
the mutter of an audience
2. : a low continuous sound
the mutter of surf