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
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Recent Examples of sputter
If the passing game continues to sputter during training camp the Dolphins must consider adding more proven veteran receivers.
—
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
The tandem of Towns, Bridges and Hart started the matchup with much better percentages before the offense sputtered down the stretch of Game 3.
—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
The Royals’ offense has sputtered this year, scoring just 221 runs, the fewest in the majors.
—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
In the end, despite the early promise and intrigue, The Boroughs is just another bland, unsatisfying Netflix Original series limping and sputtering to its foregone conclusion.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Omar Kelly,
Miami Herald,
12 June 2026
The tandem of Towns, Bridges and Hart started the matchup with much better percentages before the offense sputtered down the stretch of Game 3.
—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
9 June 2026
The Royals’ offense has sputtered this year, scoring just 221 runs, the fewest in the majors.
—
Pete Grathoff,
Kansas City Star,
1 June 2026
In the end, despite the early promise and intrigue, The Boroughs is just another bland, unsatisfying Netflix Original series limping and sputtering to its foregone conclusion.
—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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For Valentine's Day 2026, the retailer released a confetti glass icon candle that shoppers drooled over.
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Fighter Josh Hokit drooled at the weigh-in in front of the Lincoln Memorial.
Verb
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The shot sailed over the bar before England keeper Jordan Pickford shouted at his defenders, clearly displeased with the lack of resistance in their own half.
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Hundreds of people have gathered throughout the week to carry posters, shout slogans, and sing.
Verb
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The youthful musicians chattered away like creatures of the Transylvanian night.
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That’s nothing more than a nonsensical, demonizing political narrative spewed by left-wing politicians and their brethren in the progressive chattering class.
Verb
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Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
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In the shadows of the long-hut, the elders muttered among themselves—of portents and crops and weather and the storage of grain.
Verb
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These hard-sided, pop-top adventure trucks look so cool that strangers will stop to chat with you — guaranteed.
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While Yahia chats with The Star, his daughter, Hannah, takes a tray of baklava out of the oven.
Verb
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Hong Kong — The buzzing of needles and gasps of pain fall silent, replaced by the clacking and rattling of steel and plastic colliding.
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Which is why we were thrilled to find so many Prime Day deals on enriching toys, like this beautiful wooden Montessori toy, this silicone rattle and teether combo, and this charming teddy bear.
Verb
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Hardly ten more minutes had passed before Dembélé scored again—this time, cutting inside and stuttering his dribble and then, having befuddled the defense, rolling the ball right past it into an open corner of the goal.
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Stock gains themselves have also shown signs of stuttering after a nearly unprecedented run of gains in April and May.
Verb
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In addition to canceling outside noise, the headphones provide crisp audio and relaxing white-noise options, including rainy parks and babbling brooks.
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In the past, nWave films tended to be all about snappy dialogs and babbling protagonists.
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 30 Jun. 2026.
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