Adjacent Words

Mutter definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MUT'TER, v.i. [L. mutio, muttio, and musso,mussito; allied perhaps to muse, which see.]
1. To utter words with a low voice and compressed lips, with sullenness or in complaint; to grumble; to murmur.
Meantime your filthy foreigner will stare,
And mutter to himself.
2. To sound with a low rumbling noise.
Thick lightnings flash, the muttering thunder rolls.
MUT'TER, v.t. To utter with imperfect articulations, or with a low murmuring voice.
Your lips have spoken lies,your tongue hath muttered perverseness. Isaiah 59.
They in sleep will mutter their affairs.
MUT'TER, n. Murmur; obscure utterance.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a low continuous indistinct sound; often accompanied by movement of the lips without the production of articulate speech [syn: mutter, muttering, murmur, murmuring, murmuration, mussitation]
2: a complaint uttered in a low and indistinct tone [syn: grumble, grumbling, murmur, murmuring, mutter, muttering] v
1: talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice [syn: mumble, mutter, maunder, mussitate]
2: make complaining remarks or noises under one's breath; "she grumbles when she feels overworked" [syn: murmur, mutter, grumble, croak, gnarl]

Merriam Webster's

verb Etymology: Middle English muteren, of imitative origin Date: 14th century intransitive verb 1. to utter sounds or words indistinctly or with a low voice and with the lips partly closed 2. to murmur complainingly or angrily ; grumble transitive verb to utter especially in a low or imperfectly articulated manner • mutter noun • mutterer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. speak low in a barely audible manner. 2 intr. (often foll. by against, at) murmur or grumble about. 3 tr. utter (words etc.) in a low tone. 4 tr. say in secret. --n. 1 muttered words or sounds. 2 muttering. Derivatives: mutterer n. mutteringly adv. Etymology: ME, rel. to MUTE

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mutter Mut"ter, v. t. To utter with imperfect articulations, or with a low voice; as, to mutter threats. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mutter Mut"ter, n. Repressed or obscure utterance.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Mutter Mut"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Muttered; p. pr. & vb. n. Muttering.] [Prob. of imitative origin; cf. L. muttire, mutire.] 1. To utter words indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; esp., to utter indistinct complaints or angry expressions; to grumble; to growl. Wizards that peep, and that mutter. --Is. viii. 19. Meantime your filthy foreigner will stare, And mutter to himself. --Dryden. 2. To sound with a low, rumbling noise. Thick lightnings flash, the muttering thunder rolls. --Pope.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(mutters, muttering, muttered) If you mutter, you speak very quietly so that you cannot easily be heard, often because you are complaining about something. 'God knows what's happening in that madman's mind,' she muttered... She can hear the old woman muttering about consideration... He sat there shaking his head, muttering to himself... She was staring into the fire muttering. VERB: V with quote, V about n, V to n, V • Mutter is also a noun. They make no more than a mutter of protest. N-COUNT • muttering (mutterings) He heard muttering from the front of the crowd... N-VAR

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

mut'-er (haghah (Isa 8:19; 59:3)): An onomatopoetic word, used of the growling of a lion (Isa 31:4), of the "mourning" of a dove (Isa 38:14), or of the human voice, whether speaking inarticulately (Isa 16:7) or articulately (Ps 37:30, "The mouth of the righteous talketh of wisdom" compare Job 27:4; Pr 8:7, etc.). Hence, it is only the context that can give to haghah the meaning "mutter." No such meaning can be gathered from the context of Isa 59:3, and, in fact, the open shamelessness of the sinners seems to be in point. So the verse should be rendered, "Your lips have spoken lies, your tongue uttereth wickedness." In Isa 8:19 haghah describes the tone of voice used by the necromancers in uttering their formulas, "that chirp and that mutter." That this tone was subdued and indistinct is quite probable.

See PEEP.

Burton Scott Easton

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. n. Grumble, murmur, mumble, muffle. II. v. a. Utter indistinctly, murmur. III. n. Murmur, indistinct utterance.

Moby Thesaurus

air a grievance, aspirate, aspiration, bark, bated breath, bawl, beef, bellow, bellyache, bitch, blare, blat, blubber, boom, bray, breath, breathe, breathy voice, buzz, cackle, chant, chirp, clamor, complain, coo, crab, croak, crow, cry, dolorous tirade, drawl, drone, droning, exclaim, exhalation, flute, fret, fret and fume, fumble, fuss, gabble, gasp, gibber, gibbering, gripe, groan, grouch, grouse, growl, grumble, grunt, hiss, holler, howl, jabber, jeremiad, jibber, keen, kick, lament, lilt, little voice, lodge a complaint, low voice, maffle, maunder, maundering, moan, mouth, mouthing, muddle, mumble, mumbling, murmur, murmuration, murmuring, mussitate, muttering, outcry, pant, pipe, plaint, planctus, raise a howl, register a complaint, repine, roar, rumble, rumor, scold, scream, screech, shriek, sibilate, sigh, sing, snap, snarl, snort, sob, soft voice, sough, speak incoherently, splutter, sputter, squall, squawk, squeal, stage whisper, still small voice, susurrate, susurration, susurrus, swallow, take on, thunder, tirade, trumpet, twang, ululation, underbreath, undertone, wail, wail of woe, warble, whimper, whine, whisper, whispering, whistle, yap, yawp, yell, yelp, yowl