sputtered; sputtering; sputters
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
He was so angry he was spurting.
3
: to make explosive popping sounds
a spurting engine
sputterer
noun
1
: confused and excited speech or discussion
2
: the act or sound of sputtering
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
Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Alas, one day Dave Min’s efforts to keep the government closed will sputter out.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Tilda Swinton Courtesy of Netflix Through it all, Farrell’s Doyle stammers and sputters, his woebegone eyebrows carrying the full weight of his worries.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
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Verb
On a night when the Broncos offense sputtered and Rizzi’s special teams had several face-palm moments, Skinner’s block was the Broncos’ bailout, and the differentiator that underscored a dominating performance on defense.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 7 Nov. 2025
Alas, one day Dave Min’s efforts to keep the government closed will sputter out.
—John Seiler, Oc Register, 28 Oct. 2025
Noun
It’s been a season of surges and sputters for the Wave, who entered the season with a new coach (Jonas Eidevall) and without three stars (Alex Morgan, Naomi Girma and Jaedyn Shaw) who helped establish the franchise as one of the best in their league.
—Ryan Finley, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Nov. 2025
Advertisement Tilda Swinton Courtesy of Netflix Through it all, Farrell’s Doyle stammers and sputters, his woebegone eyebrows carrying the full weight of his worries.
—Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sputter. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
sputter
1 of 2 verb
sput·ter
ˈspət-ər 
1
: to spit or squirt pieces of food or saliva noisily from the mouth
2
: to speak or utter hastily or explosively in confusion or excitement
sputtered out protests
3
: to make explosive popping sounds
the motor sputtered and died
sputterer
noun
-ər-ər
sputter
2 of 2 noun
: the act or sound of sputtering
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