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
Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026
There have even been spurts of hot hitting by players that are entirely capable of spurts but shouldn’t be counted on to carry the team over long stretches.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026
By contrast, sports like sprinting and powerlifting are done in short spurts, and the body responds by burning through energy sources that are already stored in the muscles.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 20 May 2026
Over the show’s multi-month shoot in North Texas, Williams said the production would visit Ferris in spurts.
—Brayden Garcia
may 19, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
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
Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Noun
What followed were decades of growth that looked fine in the aggregate and felt hollow in practice—punctuated by brief spurts of genuine buoyancy that raised expectations before collapsing them.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 2 June 2026
There have even been spurts of hot hitting by players that are entirely capable of spurts but shouldn’t be counted on to carry the team over long stretches.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2026
By contrast, sports like sprinting and powerlifting are done in short spurts, and the body responds by burning through energy sources that are already stored in the muscles.
—Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 20 May 2026
Over the show’s multi-month shoot in North Texas, Williams said the production would visit Ferris in spurts.
—Brayden Garcia
may 19, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 19 May 2026
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
Verb
Blood spurts against the window.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for spurts
Noun
-
Marketing gurus have spent decades on the art and science of distilling a brand message into super-short 15- or 30-second ad bursts.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
11 June 2026
-
Short bursts of work can keep productivity buzzing along.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
11 June 2026
Noun
-
And days earlier, three US F-15 fighter jets were mistakenly shot down by Kuwaiti air defenses, with all crew members ejecting safely.—
Todd Symons,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
The drones have crashed into the chimney of a power plant in Estonia, hit empty fuel tanks in Latvia and been shot down by Romanian fighter jets stationed in Lithuania.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Set within the Benedictine Abbey of Weltenburg, which sits just above a bend in the Danube River, the grounds include a beer garden that’s breathtakingly beautiful but pours only one of the brewery’s three alcohol‑free varieties.—
David Dickstein,
Oc Register,
10 June 2026
-
But that overhauled tap system pours very nicely, so order a Manny’s—a pale ale from the local Georgetown Brewing Company that’s a local staple and accessible mid-point in flavor profile between hoppy craft ale and mild old-school lager.—
Mark DeJoy,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Hovering somewhere between solid and liquid, mozzarella di bufala erupts on the palate with an electric acidity that cuts through its concentrated, velvety curd.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 June 2026
-
Gold is a safe-haven asset that investors gravitate toward when economic and political turmoil erupts, sending waves through the markets.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
10 June 2026
Noun
-
The players rotated quickly, setting flurries of picks and cutting, creating space by driving to the basket, stretching the defense to the point of breaking, and then flinging the ball to the open man in the corner.—
Louisa Thomas,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
The checkup came amid mounting scrutiny of the president's health, particularly given recent flurries of late-night social media posts, as well as his at-times tired demeanor during official meetings.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
After Amanda rushes off the stage in tears and decamps to her dressing room, West declines to go after her, sitting around onstage like a deer in headlights.—
Marlow Stern,
Variety,
3 June 2026
-
Preston is a shifty and fast skater who can attack inside ice laterally but can also play out wide and burn for odd-man rushes, and excelled after moving to his off-wing (left wing) in Vancouver, going east-west more on his forehand.—
Scott Wheeler,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Verb
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This development forcibly ejects the mild-mannered mammal into both his parents’ den and the wild — literally — world of dating, where smelling suitors’ pee takes the place of an app profile.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
22 May 2026
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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
Noun
-
Brown, who entered the courtroom wearing a black and gray jumpsuit and orange shackles on his hands and feet, had multiple outbursts during the brief hearing Tuesday morning.—
Andy Buck,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
What to read next The major mission disrupters come in the form of meteor storms and outbursts, which see a dramatic increase in the quantity of interplanetary debris choking the Earth-moon environment.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
7 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Spurts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/spurts. Accessed 14 Jun. 2026.
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