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
Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
His hug of New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani left his strongest media defenders on Fox sputtering for a new way to spin their months of following the president’s lead and condemning the socialist.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Nov. 2025
Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Nov. 2025
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
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Verb
How to Watch Minnesota Timberwolves vs Phoenix Suns After sputtering to a 2-3 start, the Timberwolves have won eight out of their last 10 and six of their last seven, with their most recent win coming over the lowly Washington Wizards.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Nov. 2025
His hug of New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani left his strongest media defenders on Fox sputtering for a new way to spin their months of following the president’s lead and condemning the socialist.
—Paul Bedard, The Washington Examiner, 22 Nov. 2025
Noun
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
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
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sputter. Accessed 24 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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