To utter means to speak or make a sound with your voice. When you utter something, you're giving voice to words or sounds: you might utter a greeting when you see a friend, utter a cry of surprise, or utter a warning. A shy student might barely utter a word during class discussions, while someone in shock might be unable to utter a single sound.

The word often appears in descriptions of speaking: “She didn't utter a complaint during the entire difficult hike” or “He uttered a loud cheer when his team scored.” Sometimes people say someone “didn't utter a peep,” meaning they stayed completely silent.

There's also a completely different meaning of utter as an adjective, meaning complete or total. When something is utter, there's no doubt about it, no halfway: utter chaos, utter nonsense, utter darkness, or utter joy. If your room is in utter disarray, it's completely and totally disorganized. When someone calls an idea utter foolishness, they mean it's completely foolish, with no shades of gray or partial measures. This second meaning emphasizes that something is absolute, with nothing held back.