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
Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
With the school wanting to at least match or improve on last season’s 8-5 season, the Rams sputtered in September as veteran starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi slumped.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 Nov. 2025
David Mastio, Boston Herald, 18 Nov. 2025
When cooking messy dishes like bacon or spaghetti sauce, place a splatter screen over the pan to keep any sputters from covering the cooktop.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
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Verb
Once again, the Philadelphia offense sputtered.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025
With the school wanting to at least match or improve on last season’s 8-5 season, the Rams sputtered in September as veteran starting quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi slumped.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 26 Nov. 2025
Noun
As the government shutdown sputters to a close, the Federal Aviation Administration says that airline traffic will take weeks to get back to normal.
—David Mastio, Boston Herald, 18 Nov. 2025
When cooking messy dishes like bacon or spaghetti sauce, place a splatter screen over the pan to keep any sputters from covering the cooktop.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 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 30 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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