stutter

Universal Words verb, noun verb 1 to have difficulty speaking because you cannot stop yourself from repeating the first sound of some words several times SYNSTAMMER: [Vspeech] 'W-w-what?' he stuttered. * [VN] I managed to stutter a reply. [also V] 2 [V] (of a vehicle or an engine) to move or start with difficulty, making short sharp noises or movements: The car stuttered along in first gear. noun [sing.] a speech problem in which a person finds it difficult to say the first sound of a word and repeats it several times: He had a terrible stutter.