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
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Recent Examples of sputter
But efforts in Lansing to heed Whitmer's demand sputtered before the start of another school year.
—
Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Elsewhere most would sputter out quickly; Moshe Safide tried at Habitat in Montreal and then again in Baltimore before giving up, as most did.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2025
Miami’s offense sputtered after that until the decisive final drive.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
High home prices and mortgage rates have created unaffordable conditions for many Americans, but the housing market’s ability to create more wealth has sputtered.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Elsewhere most would sputter out quickly; Moshe Safide tried at Habitat in Montreal and then again in Baltimore before giving up, as most did.
—Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2025
Miami’s offense sputtered after that until the decisive final drive.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
High home prices and mortgage rates have created unaffordable conditions for many Americans, but the housing market’s ability to create more wealth has sputtered.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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Symptoms may begin within minutes, which include heavy drooling—especially in cats—and redness on the skin and in or around the mouth.—
Liz O'Connell,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Aug. 2025
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On day eight of his partial paralysis, Nini finally stopped drooling and could now walk gingerly.—
Tao Lin,
Harpers Magazine,
20 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Moments after grabbing Seattle midfielder Obed Vargas around the neck, footage shows Suárez shouting and then spitting in the direction of a Sounders staff member.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
9 Sep. 2025
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There is a write-in ballot option to shout out your top pick of sandwich maker.—
Endia Fontanez,
AZCentral.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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After much chattering about the status of the Oscar winner’s seemingly clean-cut visage in the lead-up to the film’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival, once the camera (actually, four cameras) train themselves on Stone’s noggin during the film’s first act, there’s no doubt.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
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There are few actors whose disembodied voices could carry long stretches of cinema, but Dafoe manages it, turning monologues about marionette mechanics or muttered complaints about hotel politics into something weirdly magnetic.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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At the WellChild Awards in London on Monday, May 8, Harry, 40, chatted with 13-year-old Grace Tutt, a Special Recognition winner who uses a wheelchair following a bus crash.—
Erin Hill,
People.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Your team members can simply dive right in and start chatting with little training, which is ideal for a communication app.—
John Brandon,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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Some residents lamented the change that continues to rattle the historic Denver neighborhood, one that has already experienced generations of displacement.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
10 Sep. 2025
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One moment, the Sound of Sleat is a sheet of silver under a pale sun; the next, wind drives rain sideways into the distillery’s courtyard, rattling the pagoda roof.—
Gina Pace,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
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There are at least some promising signs on the field, despite a stuttering start results wise, the ongoing transfer issues, and one lingering saga.—
James Nalton,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 11 Sep. 2025.
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