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Definition of Utter - 7 dictionary results

ut⋅ter

1  [uht-er]
Use Utter in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to give audible expression to; speak or pronounce: unable to utter her feelings; Words were uttered in my hearing.
2. to give forth (cries, notes, etc.) with the voice: to utter a sigh.
3. Phonetics. to produce (speech sounds, speechlike sounds, syllables, words, etc.) audibly, with or without reference to formal language.
4. to express (oneself or itself), esp. in words.
5. to give forth (a sound) otherwise than with the voice: The engine uttered a shriek.
6. to express by written or printed words.
7. to make publicly known; publish: to utter a libel.
8. to put into circulation, as coins, notes, and esp. counterfeit money or forged checks.
9. to expel; emit.
10. Obsolete. to publish, as a book.
11. Obsolete. to sell.
–verb (used without object)
12. to employ the faculty of speech; use the voice to talk, make sounds, etc.: His piety prevented him from uttering on religion.
13. to sustain utterance; undergo speaking: Those ideas are so dishonest they will not utter.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME outren (see out, -er 6 ); c. G äussern to declare

Related forms:
ut⋅ter⋅a⋅ble, adjective
ut⋅ter⋅er, noun
ut⋅ter⋅less, adjective

ut⋅ter

2  [uht-er]
–adjective
1. complete; total; absolute: her utter abandonment to grief.
2. unconditional; unqualified: an utter denial.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME; OE uttra, ūtera outer. See out, -er 4

Related forms:
ut⋅ter⋅ness, noun

Synonyms:
1. See absolute.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Utter
ut·ter 1   (ŭt'ər)   
tr.v.   ut·tered, ut·ter·ing, ut·ters

  1. To send forth with the voice: uttered a cry.

  2. To articulate (words); pronounce or speak. See Synonyms at vent1.

  3. Law To put (counterfeit money, for example) into circulation.

  4. To publish (a book, for example).

  5. Obsolete To sell or deliver (merchandise) in trading.


[Middle English utteren, partly from Middle Low German uteren (from uter, outer, comparative of ūt, out; see ud- in Indo-European roots) and alteration (influenced by utter, outer) of Middle English outen, to disclose (from out, out; see out).]
ut'ter·a·ble adj., ut'ter·er n.
ut·ter 2   (ŭt'ər)   
adj.  Complete; absolute; entire: utter nonsense; utter darkness.

[Middle English, from Old English ūtera, outer; see ud- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

utter  (adj.)
"complete, total," O.E. utera, uterra, "outer," comparative adj. formed from ut (see out), from P.Gmc. *utizon (cf. O.N. utar, O.Fris. uttra, M.Du. utere, Du. uiter-, O.H.G. uzar, Ger. äußer "outer"), a comparative adj. from the base of out. Uttermost, attested from c.1300, is more recent than utmost; M.E. also had uttermore (1382), now, alas, no loger with us. Utterly (c.1225) originally meant "sincerely, outspokenly" (cf. utter (v.)).

utter  (v.)
"speak, say," c.1400, in part from M.L.G. utern "to turn out, show, speak," from uter "outer," comparative adj. formed from ut "out;" in part from M.E. verb outen "to disclose," from O.E. utan "to put out," from ut (see out). Cf. Ger. äussern "to utter, express," from aus "out;" and colloquial phrase out with it "speak up!" Formerly also used as a commercial verb (as release is now). Utterance "that which is uttered" is attested from c.1454.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: ut·ter
Function: transitive verb
: to put (as a counterfeit note) into circulation as if genuine uttering a forged check> —ut·ter·er noun
Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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