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 In the wake of a depressing 69-93 season that sputtered out from the get-go, as so many a Royals campaign does, the club promptly made some substantial changes. — Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026 The real concerns came on offense, where the Trojans uncharacteristically sputtered. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 But the problem is, Miami’s offense kept sputtering most of the game. — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026 The offense sputtered most of the night, totaling just 231 yards, including a career-low 119 passing yards and two interceptions by sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. — Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sputter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter

Verb

Mix these finds into your work wardrobe or your off-duty ensembles—they’re versatile enough to do it all, and the festive palette is worth drooling over.

— Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026
There was one of Melissa Gorga’s sprinkle cookies ground into the carpet, and there was Kelsey Swanson, passed out under the piano and drooling on the parquet.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of drool

Verb

Lil’ Randy shouts repeatedly as he is hauled off, a great ending to a pretty great episode.

— Kevin Dolak, HollywoodReporter, 15 Oct. 2026
The drunk-and-disorderly charge is linked to a December incident, in which Minton is accused of shouting and cursing at patrons of a tattoo studio in Hickory, court records show.

— Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 14 Oct. 2026

Definition of shout

Verb

In the novel, likewise, the narrator assumes an almost Homeric guise, comparing current harbor gossip to chatter from the Phoenician, Cretan, Greek, and Roman eras.

— Alex Ross, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
Suspended in a pool, holding onto an oxygen mask as her teeth chattered, Julia Wolf began to seriously consider the possibility of hypothermia.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of chatter

Verb

Times columnists Gustavo Arellano, Steve Lopez and Lorraine Ali are chatting about Tuesday night’s Los Angeles mayoral debate between Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman.

— Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 14 Oct. 2026
The details of the allegations, which disclosed how fraternity members used a Snapchat group chat to discuss the woman and events at the party with openly crude language, sparked fury across the nation.

— Elissa Nadworny, NPR, 13 Oct. 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

Set beneath a gorgeous sun at what may either be dawn or dusk, this sea occasionally stutters and reverses before continuing to roll all over again.

— Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 30 Sep. 2026
Some are painted with a stuttering distortion, like a computer image that’s failed to fully download.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 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 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of sputter

verb

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