Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use mutter in a sentence

40 example sentences · noun, verb

Mutter means a repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering. Example: “The prisoners were docile, and accepted their lot with barely a mutter.”

Examples of mutter by meaning

nounA repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering.

  • The prisoners were docile, and accepted their lot with barely a mutter.

verbTo utter words, especially complaints or angry expressions, indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; to...

  • You could hear the students mutter as they were served sodden spaghetti, yet again, in the cafeteria.
  • The beggar muttered words of thanks, as passersby dropped coins in his cup.
  • This set – the set of Rosol's life – was studded with aces and menacing ground-strokes that left Nadal an impotent spectator often muttering to himself and at the umpire regarding a perceived misdemeanour by his opponent.2012 June 28, Jamie Jackson, “Wimbledon 2012: Lukas Rosol shocked by miracle win over Rafael Nadal”, in the Guardian

verbTo speak softly and incoherently, or with imperfect articulations.

  • The asylum inmate muttered some doggerel about chains and pains to himself, over and over.

verbTo make a sound with a low, rumbling noise.

  • April could hear the delivery van's engine muttering in the driveway.

More sentences with mutter

  • One of my copatients in the psychiatric hospital kept me awake with his muttering and yelling.From the entry copatient
  • The patient was half conscious and muttering a few words.From the entry half
  • We could see three different scalpers moving through the crowd outside the arena, each muttering the characteristic refrain: “Need any tickets?”From the entry scalper
  • She would be muttering to the ewes—Where has that old airmonger gone now?2022, Christiane M. Andrews, Wolfish, →ISBN. From the entry airmonger
  • Along the halls, stories were muttered of graduates turned down from barista-ing, pool attending, dishwashing.2020, Rowan Hisayo Buchanan, Starling Days, The Overlook Press, →ISBN. From the entry barista
  • You desperately mutter, “Never eat shredded wheat,” whipping your head around.2020 April 1, Andrea Josic, Nathaniel Crouch, Zachary Roman, “Help deliver a secret message to Rye’s president”, in The Eyeopener, volume…. From the entry never eat shredded wheat
  • Used as a contact and alarm call, the muffled raab is like a muttered, husky quack.2019, Adrian Thomas, RSPB Guide to Birdsong, →ISBN, page 141. From the entry raab
  • He ground against her until he was muttering curses, his kiss rougher than before.2016 August 16, Heather McGovern, A Moment of Bliss, Lyrical Press, →ISBN. From the entry grind
  • “If it's here, it's hidden good and sneaksome, snuglets,” he muttered.2016, Will Mabbitt, Mabel Jones and the Doomsday Book. From the entry sneaksome
  • Martyn muttered, his stomach gurgling at the reminder of his last meal.2016, Dennis J. Gordica, Charon and Demeter, AuthorHouse, →ISBN. From the entry unchewability
  • "I'll try my best, but we still have a few bumps to work out," Ryder muttered.2015, Dianna Love, Slye Team Black Ops 3-book box set. From the entry bump
  • This greatly irritated Mr Hooke and he muttered that Mr Wylde is not worth a whistle'.2015, Ruth Scurr, John Aubrey: My Own Life, →ISBN, page 257. From the entry not worth a whistle
  • "There's a boocoo bunch of destruction comin' our way," one of the calmer analysts muttered to himself.2012, Bruce Biller, The God-Man: Seed of Satan, WestBow Press, →ISBN, page 113. From the entry boocoo
  • Two rough-faced young men muttered remarks: 'Couple of pouffs.' 'Yeah, queering about.'2012, Adrian Kenny, Portobello Notebook. From the entry pouff
  • 'Oh my God,' cutesome Nathan Sykes muttered to his mates, wiping away a bead of sweat.2010, Christian Guiltenane, The Wanted Unofficial Biography. From the entry cutesome
  • "Oh, yesss," he muttered in a mousy Germanic accent, hunching over and twiddling his fingers anxiously.2009 January 8, Ben Sisario, “Addicted to Peter Lorre (That Voice, Those Eyes)”, in New York Times. From the entry yesss
  • “This is the stealingest dog I ever did know,” muttered Maria beneath the lace.2009, Kathryne Kennedy, My Unfair Lady, page 16. From the entry stealingest
  • Mutter will play on one of next week’s New York programs.2008 April 26, Anthony Tommasini, “Masur’s Vigorous Last Laps in Paris”, in New York Times. From the entry nocturnelike
  • Before she could even mutter a hello the boy left to join his friends.2008, My Family, http://www.deliverancenow.info/WordsDance/Stories/Archive/Challenge_16.htm. From the entry twithought
  • Tariq clenched his teeth and muttered something to himself in Pashto that Laila didn’t catch.2007, Khaled Hosseini, A Thousand Splendid Suns, BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING (2018), page 131. From the entry Pashto
  • Nina was thrilled, muttering her cantankerous joy that I was getting out of the house.2007, Linda Francis Lee, The Devil in the Junior League, page 44. From the entry cantankerous
  • Behind him, Isaacs heard Slater mutter, "And if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon."2007, Keith R. A. DeCandido, Resident Evil: Extinction, page 115. From the entry if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon
  • Over and over she mutters a word that he cannot quite catch, something like Toomderoom.2005, J. M. Coetzee, “Six”, in Slow Man, New York: Viking, →ISBN, page 36. From the entry crone
  • Under his breath, he muttered, “minimal as their Elfism might be.” He raised his voice.2005, A. A. Wolfner, Alan J. Vekich, Ivory Sword: The Lore of Dayone, page 226. From the entry elfism
  • “I’m gonna get outta their way,” he mutters, then snorts without mirth.2004, James McManus, Positively Fifth Street. From the entry Jesus H. Christ
  • Kat danced around the FedExer with a clumsy little side step, muttering an apology under her breath.2004, Karen Sandler, Chocolate Magic, Waterville, Me.: Wheeler Publishing, published 2005, →ISBN, pages 262–263. From the entry FedExer
  • "Stick that in your dope stick and smoke it," muttered a trooper.2003, Timothy Pilgrim, Ro, page 177. From the entry dope stick
  • 'Snitch,' he muttered as he gave his daughter a comical underbrow glance.1995, Emma Richmond, A Family Closeness, page 58. From the entry underbrow
  • She sips the tea slowly, holding the folding bone and the letter, muttering awkward thankyous.1994, Bernice Morgan, Waiting for Time, Breakwater, →ISBN, page 17. From the entry folding bone
  • At this Nightshade mutters under his breath and begins to metamorphose.1993 August 25, Robert Johan Enters, “Re: [ADMIN] Re: Newcomer to the Theatre...”, in alt.cyberpunk.chatsubo (Usenet). From the entry cyberize
  • I channel vertically under the sheet to hide my blushing neck, muttering demulcent nothings.1990, Helen Simpson, “Four Bare Legs in a Bed”, in Four Bare Legs in a Bed: And Other Stories, London: William Heinemann, →ISBN…. From the entry demulcent
  • Herbie had taken out a handkerchief and blown his nose loudly, muttering something about "Foolish.1989, John Gardner, The Secret Families. From the entry blubbing
  • You should mutter sullenly into your glass, cursing the serving woman (Witch!1986, Marc Polonsky, Russell Taylor, USSR, From an Original Idea by Karl Marx, Faber and Faber, →ISBN. From the entry vodka
  • At this point, the hard-core "data-phobes" are probably muttering, "These guys can't fool me.1984, John Waite Bowers, John A. Courtright, Communication research methods, page 133. From the entry data-phobe

Meaning of mutter

  1. noun A repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering.
  2. verb To utter words, especially complaints or angry expressions, indistinctly or with a low voice and lips partly closed; to say under one's breath.
  3. verb To speak softly and incoherently, or with imperfect articulations.

Full definition of mutter

Questions about mutter in a sentence

How do you use mutter in a sentence?
Mutter is used as a noun and verb. For example: “The prisoners were docile, and accepted their lot with barely a mutter.”
What is a short sentence with mutter?
“The patient was half conscious and muttering a few words.”
What does mutter mean?
Mutter means a repressed or obscure utterance; an instance of muttering.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: mutter (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this page: “How to use mutter in a sentence.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/sentences/mutter. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.