splutter

noun splut·ter \ ˈsplə-tər \

Definition of splutter

1 :a confused noise (as of hasty speaking)

2 :a splashing or sputtering sound

Recent Examples of splutter from the Web

Its hostility to outsiders splutters on, Griffin's unstinting production (music direction is by Michael Mahler and choreography by Ericka Mac) seems to be saying.

— chris jones, chicagotribune.com, "In Glencoe, a reminder that 'Parade' won't pass us by," 1 June 2017
No doubt this debate will rage, or splutter, for years to come.

— anthony lane, The New Yorker, "Reading Jane Austen’s Final, Unfinished Novel," 13 Mar. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'splutter.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of splutter

probably alteration of sputter

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1677

See Words from the same year

splutter

verb

Definition of splutter

transitive verb

:to utter hastily or confusedly :stammer

intransitive verb

1 :to make a noise as if spitting

2 :to speak hastily and confusedly

—

splutterer

play \ˈsplə-tər-ər\ noun

See splutter defined for English-language learners

Examples of splutter in a Sentence

She coughed and spluttered as she climbed out of the icy water.
When I demanded an explanation, he just stood there spluttering.
“Th-that's simply not true,” he spluttered.

Recent Examples of splutter from the Web

Her tentative manner is in vital contrast to the assured, rolling cadences of the pastor at Mr. Gray’s funeral, or to the fiery, spluttering rage of a man who was arrested during protests in Baltimore.

— ben brantley, New York Times, "Notes from the Field," 2 Nov. 2016
When the bodies were being carried out, two of the girls turned out to still be alive, spluttering and coughing before being stabbed into silence.

— simon sebag montefiore, Town & Country, "The Devastating True Story of the Romanov Family's Execution," 5 Oct. 2016