as in to drool
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
she was so shocked that, for a moment, all she could do was sputter
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of sputter
Denegal led a first-quarter scoring drive against the Cougars, but the Aztecs’ offense sputtered thereafter with four straight three-and-outs thereafter.
—
Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
Her car sputtered to a stop in the middle of the road near a crowded homeless encampment under the freeway.
—Laura Kwerel, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
While Tesla has thousands of employees in California and Texas, some new electric vehicle plants have sputtered.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Signs of weakness in the economy Consumer spending remains resilient as other parts of the economy sputter.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Sep. 2025
Her car sputtered to a stop in the middle of the road near a crowded homeless encampment under the freeway.
—Laura Kwerel, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
While Tesla has thousands of employees in California and Texas, some new electric vehicle plants have sputtered.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
Signs of weakness in the economy Consumer spending remains resilient as other parts of the economy sputter.
—Bryan Mena, CNN Money, 16 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
-
Keong says these pillow protectors slide easily over her puffiest pillows, wash up well at the laundromat, and help prevent her new pillows from getting too drooled-on to be presentable for overnight guests.—
Nashia Baker,
Architectural Digest,
23 Sep. 2025
-
Well, then it’s being stolen right out from under its retracting proboscis, which is actually just another drooling head that lives in its mouth.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some tried wrapping Rojas’ bleeding leg with a shirt; others shouted out advice.—
April Quevedo,
jsonline.com,
23 Sep. 2025
-
The crew is dancing and there is a pile of three different kinds of currency on the table, while voices shout and beer bottles jingle as the bus rolls through the ancient Denmark night headed for Germany.—
Jonathan Terrell,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Diners chattered away and ate at the restaurant while wedding guests gathered on the dance floor.—
Lauren Mascarenhas,
CNN Money,
22 Sep. 2025
-
The data also added to chatter about whether a jumbo, half-percentage-point cut could be on the table in September — a conversation Jim Cramer feels is justified.—
Kevin Stankiewicz,
CNBC,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
-
My husband has been muttering in a loop about tuition, books, food, and transportation to and from home to campus.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Weaver could certainly chat things up with his former team to ger some pointers on making the transition.—
Andrew Wright,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
-
The Don't Be Dumb artist, 36, chatted with Elle about his acting career, his recent trial, fatherhood and his third baby on the way with longtime partner Rihanna.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
But when the disheveled, withdrawn ex-friend shows up in the locker room gibbering about an evil spirit, Sam is mortified, impulsively knocking to the ground the grungy-looking Mason jar that Tamira has been carrying around.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
18 Sep. 2023
-
For a while, police interest bent toward a Phud who had been warned he might be eliminated from the program, who had seemed almost exultant about the fire and gibbered gleefully about the media spotlight.—
New York Times,
New York Times,
13 Apr. 2018
Verb
-
Earlier this year, Chinese AI firm DeepSeek rattled global markets after claiming to create a large language chatbot that outperformed competitors at a fraction of the cost.—
Ashley Capoot,Samantha Subin,
CNBC,
24 Sep. 2025
-
Some state legislatures have passed grant programs meant to help schools foot the bill for those upgrades, including in Texas and Florida, where mass shootings at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas in 2018 and Robb Elementary School in 2022 rattled the country.—
Tonya Simpson,
ABC News,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This is stuttering, crashing and other issues, even on high-end hardware way above recommended specs, which is baffling some.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
My connection often improved a few minutes later, but those drops could result in stuttering in games, hitches in streaming, and slow file downloads.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
3 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 27 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share