1
as in bursts
a sudden and usually temporary growth of activity
a spurt of economic growth for the first quarter of the year
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in pours
to flow out in great quantities or with force
water spurted from the garden hose just as I was checking the nozzle
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in erupts
to throw out or off (something from within) often violently
the pipe suddenly cracked and began spurting water
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of spurts
ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Offensively, the power has come in fits and spurts.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 13 May 2026
This method could entail spurts of blood or violent death throes.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
The flip side of all this is that Perez’s terrific career has been marked by funks and spurts … just seldom this early.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Jamahl Mosley‘s group successfully shared the ball by dishing out 33 assists and defended at a high level in spurts by scoring 28 points off 20 takeaways.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
The Horned Frogs can play fast in spurts, but typically TCU uses a more deliberate pace on offense, using multiple ball screens to create the right look for Miles or her teammates.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
But recovery would come in fits and spurts.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
My limbs stilled and grew heavy in the heat, but Alice jiggled her knees up and down, bursting out with short spurts of conversation that weighed against the beauty of our silence.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
It’s caused when the vocal cords slacken, leading to irregular vibration and an audible cracking or rattling sound as air is released in spurts.
—ArsTechnica, 14 May 2026
Offensively, the power has come in fits and spurts.
—Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 13 May 2026
This method could entail spurts of blood or violent death throes.
—Jessica Camille Aguirre, New Yorker, 2 May 2026
The flip side of all this is that Perez’s terrific career has been marked by funks and spurts … just seldom this early.
—Kansas City Star, 13 Apr. 2026
Jamahl Mosley‘s group successfully shared the ball by dishing out 33 assists and defended at a high level in spurts by scoring 28 points off 20 takeaways.
—Jason Beede, The Orlando Sentinel, 11 Apr. 2026
The Horned Frogs can play fast in spurts, but typically TCU uses a more deliberate pace on offense, using multiple ball screens to create the right look for Miles or her teammates.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 Mar. 2026
But recovery would come in fits and spurts.
—Jaclyn Cosgrove, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2026
My limbs stilled and grew heavy in the heat, but Alice jiggled her knees up and down, bursting out with short spurts of conversation that weighed against the beauty of our silence.
—Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026
Verb
Blood spurts against the window.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurts
Noun
-
The discordant, Bernard Herrmann-esque bursts of María Portugal’s rich score ratchet up the suspense and foreboding.—
Sheri Linden,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
-
We were immediately greeted by a resplendence of wildflowers, including purple-pink woolly bluecurls, bright orange southern bush monkey flower, red bursts of cardinal catchfly and at least one Catalina Mariposa lily.—
Jaclyn Cosgrove,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
No pattern enacted on these buttons will safely land a four-hundred-ton jetliner, flaring and bouncing and settling heavily onto its twenty-two wheels while the spoilers on the wings snap up and the jets scream in reverse and the passengers sigh in relief.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
The company said two MD-11s have returned to revenue service so far, and that more jets will resume flying after they have been repaired and inspected.—
Joel Rose,
NPR,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
In the video, a cat is seen approaching bits of food left on the ground when a woman pours liquid from a bottle onto the food.—
Joe Brandt,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
Bringing together more than 50 food, wine, beer, and spirit vendors, the festival highlights a wide-ranging lineup of culinary talent alongside standout pours from regional and international producers.—
Ut Community Press,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
And as for the showstopping pelican, the frog erupts out of its beak right on cue, a moment that indeed inspires a round of laughter and childlike awe.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2026
-
That climaxes in a kaleidoscope of styles where Esteban, directing one scene, erupts in fury, reverting to a verbal and physical violence which Emilia obviously knew and suffered as child, Sorogoyen explains.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
The latest flurries that dusted parts of the Sierra Nevada this week are unlikely to do much to ease California’s snow drought.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
As the rain and snow fall, flurries can melt, mix together and refreeze just before hitting the ground, according to Jackson Macfarlane, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Boise office.—
Hali Smith
April 14,
Idaho Statesman,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With no way to stop it, Beth rushes to get the horses out in a trailer while Rip cuts the fences in an effort to give their cattle a fighting chance.—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
16 May 2026
-
It’s also borne of relentless aggression on the forecheck, which can lead to a fair amount of odd-man rushes toward Andersen’s net.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
At the same time, a salty liquid containing calcium chloride (a salt often used to de-ice roads) is pumped through the regenerator, which carries the heat away and ejects it to the surroundings on exit.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Results published in Nature show that cells use bioelectricity to coordinate a complex collective behavior called extrusion, a vital process that ejects sick or struggling individual cells from tissue to maintain health and keep growth in check.—
Elise Cutts,
Quanta Magazine,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Even their coach embodies a respectful, reflective male ideal and disciplines his athletes rather than celebrating them for outbursts of anger.—
Anna Rinderspacher,
Glamour,
20 May 2026
-
Even Republicans, who usually feigned ignorance about the President’s social-media outbursts, were weighing in.—
Jason Zengerle,
New Yorker,
18 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurts. Accessed 24 May. 2026.
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