Stammered (9)
I believe the answer is:
stuttered
<span class="explanation-format__ClueExplanation">'<span class="explanation-format__original">stammered</span>' is the definition.<br/ ><span class="explanation-format__explanation">('stutter' can be a synonym of 'stammer')</span><br/ ><br/ >This is the entire clue.<br/ ></span>
(Other definitions for stuttered that I've seen before include "Spoke with repetition of first consonants" , "Spoke haltingly" .)