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
Denver assembled with four minutes to play in regulation, down 27-23 after a true seesaw of a playoff game, its offense having once again sputtered to a halt in a season of fits and starts.
—
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Jan. 2026
When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
David Peterson, an All-Star for the first time in July, sputtered over the season’s final six weeks.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The only constant is Mount Etna, looming off to one side, at times sputtering out smoke, ash, and short bursts of lava.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Jan. 2026
When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
David Peterson, an All-Star for the first time in July, sputtered over the season’s final six weeks.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 16 Jan. 2026
The only constant is Mount Etna, looming off to one side, at times sputtering out smoke, ash, and short bursts of lava.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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This indulgent treat already has fans drooling—and many Costco members have been running to their local bakeries to see if the Cookie Bar Cake is still in stock.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Jan. 2026
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That’s a job for Hankton, who will still have an immensely talented unit, one most coaches would drool over.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The crowd, rapidly swelling into the hundreds, screamed insults and obscenities at the agents, some of whom shouted back mockingly.—
Jack Brook,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
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While the officers secured the detainees in the van, Arturo Gonzalez, 23, shouted into a megaphone promising that this would not be the last time protestors take such actions.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Voices chattering in Yiddish mingle with clucking chickens, crowing roosters and accordion music drifting through a bustling outdoor market.—
Leslie Katz,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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Now Carmelo can be seen at every Syracuse game, chattering constantly to Kiyan and his teammates.—
Lindsay Schnell,
New York Times,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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On the plane, Dick clutches the slingshot and begins sweating and muttering to himself before becoming unresponsive.—
Louis Peitzman,
Vulture,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In videos obtained by PEOPLE, Earle and the former Patriots quarterback, 48, could be seen chatting and dancing together in a club.—
Angel Saunders,
PEOPLE,
28 Jan. 2026
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On board, passengers chat politics in Finnish dining cars, clamber into couchettes above strangers on the Trans-Siberian, and share samosas on India’s many raucous mail trains.—
Arati Menon,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Jan. 2026
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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The situation was the latest test for officials in Austin, a liberal city where distrust of federal immigration agencies runs deep and residents have been rattled by recent events in Minneapolis.—
Emiliano Tahui Gómez,
Austin American Statesman,
27 Jan. 2026
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Vrabel adjusted the defense away from a blitz-happy scheme meant to rattle Broncos quarterback Jarrett Stidham.—
Chad Graff,
New York Times,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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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
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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 31 Jan. 2026.
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