mutter

1 of 2

verb

mut·​ter ˈmə-tər 

muttered; muttering; mutters

intransitive verb

1

: to utter sounds or words indistinctly or with a low voice and with the lips partly closed

… he gestured and muttered furiously in his lawyer's ear.

—Tana French

2

: to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble

Some employees muttered about the changes in the pension plan.

transitive verb

: to utter especially in a low or imperfectly articulated manner

muttered an apology

mutter noun

mutterer

ˈmə-tər-ər 

noun

mutterer

2 of 2

noun

mut·​ter·​er -ərə(r) 

plural -s

: one that mutters

Synonyms of mutter

Verb

• complain
• scream
• whine
• moan

Examples of mutter in a Sentence

Verb

She angrily muttered something about her bad luck.

She sat practicing her speech, muttering to herself.

Some employees are muttering about the changes in the pension plan.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The camera then cut to McCarthy, who muttered a profanity in response. — ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026

Max Muncy, whose home run expanded the Dodgers’ lead, was still muttering about the heat nearly 15 minutes after escaping into air conditioning. — Fabian Ardaya, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026

Heti stared at the drawing in front of her and muttered whatever under her breath. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026

The tourists mutter in disbelief before the driver of the bus heads down the street to the next haunted stop. — Sonjirose Chin, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English muteren, of imitative origin

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Rhymes for mutter

• butter
• clutter
• cutter
• flutter
• gutter
• nutter
• putter
• rutter
• shutter
• sputter
• stutter
• utter

Kids Definition

mutter

verb

mut·​ter ˈmət-ər 

1

: mumble entry 1 sense 1

2

: to murmur complainingly or angrily : grumble

mutter noun

mutterer

-ər-ər 

noun