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
If the Seattle running game once again sputters, moving the ball through the air could (obviously) be a struggle against Stingley and Co.
—
Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
The Patriots got out to a hot start running the ball but sputtered out in the red zone on their ensuing drive.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
The Niners’ defense is reeling, and the offense is sputtering.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
Democrats' ballyhooed and famously expensive bid to unseat her in 2020 sputtered to an 8-point defeat in a state that President Joe Biden carried by 9 points.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Tyler Everett, MSNBC Newsweek, 20 Oct. 2025
The Patriots got out to a hot start running the ball but sputtered out in the red zone on their ensuing drive.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
The Niners’ defense is reeling, and the offense is sputtering.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
Democrats' ballyhooed and famously expensive bid to unseat her in 2020 sputtered to an 8-point defeat in a state that President Joe Biden carried by 9 points.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
-
Duff wrote alongside a drooling-face emoji.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Line play enthusiasts would drool for 60 minutes.—
David Ubben,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Davis stood up and shouted at referee Jeffrey Anderson.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The post even shouted out Moore, who was absent.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Now Carmelo can be seen at every Syracuse game, chattering constantly to Kiyan and his teammates.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Insects chatter in the trees in waves and pulses in the heat.—
David Searcy,
Harpers Magazine,
30 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The camera then turns to James Austin Johnson, who played the president, sleeping and muttering New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s name.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 Dec. 2025
-
On the plane, Dick clutches the slingshot and begins sweating and muttering to himself before becoming unresponsive.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
While chatting with Fallon, Sink shared a few thoughts on the explosive finale of Stranger Things—some of which proved to be a little controversial.—
Meg Walters,
InStyle,
7 Jan. 2026
-
About halfway through, a few students finished and started chatting.—
Lila Shapiro,
Vulture,
7 Jan. 2026
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
-
Pulling up from the free-throw line with a defender a few feet ahead, Andrews’ midrange jumper rattled inside the basket before popping back out as the buzzer sounded.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
9 Jan. 2026
-
When shopkeepers in the narrow streets of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar protested the government’s failing economic policies, their chants rattled the regime.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The attack ended what had been a stuttering process of bilateral US-Iranian talks designed to rein in Tehran’s nuclear program.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
5 Jan. 2026
-
So was bassist Pino Palladino, late jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove, keyboardist James Poyser, and Questlove’s stuttering percussion, inspired by secret weapon, Hip-hop production game-changer J Dilla.—
Keith Murphy,
VIBE.com,
12 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share