sputter
verb
sput·ter
| \ ˈspə-tər
\
\
sputtered;
sputtering;
sputters
Definition of sputter
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to spit or squirt from the mouth with explosive sounds
2
: to utter hastily or explosively in confusion or excitement
"that's ridiculous!" she sputtered
3
: to dislodge (atoms) from the surface of a material by collision with high energy particles
also
: to deposit (a metallic film) by such a process
1
: to spit or squirt particles of food or saliva noisily from the mouth
2
: to speak explosively or confusedly in anger or excitement
3
: to make explosive popping sounds
sputter
nounDefinition of sputter (Entry 2 of 2)
1
: confused and excited speech or discussion
2
: the act or sound of sputtering
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Synonyms for sputter
Synonyms: Verb
babble, bumble, chat, chatter, drivel, drool, gabble, gibber, jabber, prattle
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Examples of sputter in a Sentence
Verb
The motor sputtered and died. He was sputtering with rage. She sputtered an angry protest. “You, you have to be kidding!” he sputtered.
Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The running game sputtered just as much only collecting 55 yards. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Memorial dealt 14-0 season-opening loss to Kempner," 30 Aug. 2019 The start to his NFL career then sputtered badly, forcing him to turn to teammates and coaches for support. — Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, "Chargers rookie Nasir Adderley shows his speed and talent in preseason finale," 30 Aug. 2019 Our own little walking party sputtered to an end at the Nalanda bus stop. — Paul Salopek, The New Yorker, "Walking the Path of the Buddha in a Neglected Corner of India," 9 Aug. 2019 The glow of Putin’s domestically popular annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014 has faded, analysts say, and the government’s sharp increase of the retirement age last year cast a spotlight on Russia’s sputtering economy. — Washington Post, "Facing simmering domestic discontent, Putin tells Russians he feels their pain," 20 June 2019 Even the Batman saga, which Tim Burton had kicked off with such promise, sputtered into garish weirdness. — Peter Rubin, WIRED, "Goodbye X-Men—You Flawed, Frustrating Cinematic Revolution," 7 June 2019 The downgrade was the result of a sputtering Chinese economy, U.S.-China trade tensions and Brexit, according to the IMF. — Christopher Alessi, WSJ, "Oil Rises as Supply Concerns Outweigh Rising Stockpiles," 25 Jan. 2019 McDaniel brought in veteran coach Mark Heaton to rejuvenate an offense that sputtered at times last season. — Ben Thomas | [email protected], al, "‘So ready to get there:’ Baldwin County eager to find a way into Class 6A playoffs," 11 Aug. 2019 Britain’s Universal Credit, a (sputtering) attempt to merge six working-age benefits into one, takes the approach further. — The Economist, "The welfare state needs updating," 12 July 2018Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
As the global economy sputters, central banks across the world are promising rate cuts, balance sheet growth and forms of more direct stimulus to help shore up the respective regions' economies. — David Goldman, CNN, "Dow futures rise 300 points on hopeful signals about trade," 19 Aug. 2019 As the global economy sputters, investors are plowing money into long-term US bonds. — Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, "Dow falls more than 600 points after disturbing warning," 14 Aug. 2019 The Wildcats’ hope is that will help prevent an early offensive sputter, which factored into the slow start. — Matt Goul, cleveland.com, "Strong start matters to St. Ignatius: 2019 football camp tour," 2 Aug. 2019 O'Rourke's fundraising sputters in second quarter MANNING, IOWA— Beto O’Rourke’s fundraising machine stalled in the second quarter. — NBC News, "Study finds 19 percent of U.S. adult Twitter users follow @realDonaldTrump," 16 July 2019 The tech giant is under pressure to build up new areas of business as growth in its bread-and-butter smartphone business sputters. — Tripp Mickle, WSJ, "Apple Launches New AirPods in Wearables Push," 20 Mar. 2019 He was arrested two days later when a bomb in the back of a sport utility vehicle fizzled with a mere sputter of smoke, drawing the attention of a street vendor who alerted police, the Associated Press reported when he was sentenced later that year. — NBC News, "Man under surveillance discussed setting off explosive device in Times Square, sources say," 7 June 2019 The March report will show whether employers have significantly downshifted hiring plans or whether February was just a sputter during a long stretch of job gains. — Eric Morath, WSJ, "Economists Expect Hiring Rise, Wage Gains in March Jobs Report," 4 Apr. 2019 Fast-forward the cosmic clock, compressing eons into seconds, and the stars of the night sky would wink out one by one, as the central, stabilizing inferno within each one sputters and dies. — Alan Hirshfeld, WSJ, "Book Review: Feeling Gravity’s Pull," 16 Nov. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sputter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for sputter
sputter
verb
English Language Learners Definition of sputter
: to make loud sounds like explosions
: to speak quickly or in a confused way because you are upset, surprised, etc.
See the full definition for sputter in the English Language Learners Dictionary
sputter
verb
sput·ter
| \ ˈspə-tər
\
\
sputtered;
sputtering
Kids Definition of sputter
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
: to spit noisily from the mouth
She came out of the water coughing and sputtering.
2
: to speak in a hasty or explosive way in confusion or excitement
Students sputtered out protests.
3
: to make explosive popping sounds
The motor sputtered and died.