SPUTTER Synonyms: 40 Similar and Opposite Words

sputter

verb

ˈspə-tər

Definition of sputter

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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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 Some analysts attributed the drop-off to sputtering demand as investors moved past the company's splashy listing and took a closer look at its bottom line. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Oil prices fell Monday even as diplomatic efforts to end the US-Iran war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz sputtered. — Brendan Ruberry, semafor.com, 3 Aug. 2026 The redshirt junior signal caller sputtered to start the first half of 2025, but by November, Manning was one of the best quarterbacks in the country and should carry that over into this year. — Austin Perry Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 July 2026 With fighting flaring again and diplomacy appearing to sputter, both sides made moves suggesting an escalation was possible. — Julia Frankel, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for sputter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter

Verb

Beyond the seating area is the hotel shop with a vibrant range of pottery to drool over.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Aug. 2026
Who had broken a wrist on the back-yard flagstones, drooled cherry medicine down her sleeping face on the car ride back from the hospital.

— Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026

Definition of drool

Verb

People in surrounding cars gawked, waved and, in one instance, rolled down their windows to shout something that went unheard, as Bonelli explained that the van had internal cameras that were always on but not always being watched.

— Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 20 Aug. 2026
When reporters shouted questions about the bombshell conversation, the future king at the time simply chuckled, remained silent and carried on walking.

— Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of shout

Verb

That’s when Way mutters the p-word — under his breath for plausible deniability, but certainly still with the intention of being heard, smirking at the sound of my laughter.

— Selome Hailu, Variety, 18 Aug. 2026
This was 1872, and the pious (and patronizing) commentators of the time muttered that Damien’s unvarnished personality was due to his simple farm upbringing in rural Belgium.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026

Definition of mutter

Verb

The group usually sees two or three families each time, inviting them to chat and get connected with the organization and other mutual aid groups.

— Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026
Catherine doesn’t share about her life right away, instead choosing to chat about Jean’s canning abilities.

— Erin Qualey, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of chat

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

Definition of gibber

Verb

Art DeRamus' nerves are still rattled after his Delaware home of 43 years was peppered with bullets in the middle of the night.

— Ryan Hughes, CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Parents at evacuation centers in the village said many children were afraid to return indoors and woke up frightened whenever aftershocks rattled the island.

— ABC News, ABC News, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of rattle

Verb

During his playing days and after, John made an effort to embrace nonprofit organizations that helped young children who stutter.

— Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
Strikes between the United States and Iran have been ongoing after a stuttering ceasefire.

— Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 31 July 2026

Definition of stutter

Browse Nearby Words

sputa

sputter

sputtered

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“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of sputter

verb

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