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 The defense is legit While the offense sputtered, the defense went into overdrive. — Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2026 Miami’s offense, which lacks speed in the final third and relies more on possession and short passes, has also sputtered at times when opponents clog the passing lanes to Messi. — Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 11 Sep. 2026 Darnold was replaced by backup quarterback Drew Lock, and Seattle’s offense continued to sputter during the first half. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026 Then in the Super Bowl while New England's offense sputtered, Gonzalez did his best to keep the team in the game with several key pass breakups. — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 8 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for sputter

Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter

Verb

All three judges are basically drooling over how much pure quickstep content is in this routine despite some framework issues and the mistake at the end.

— Maggie Fremont, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026
Toward the end of the film, that kid is grown up and stuck in an incestuous relationship with his mother, while a nearly incapacitated Dau sits drooling nearby.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2026

Definition of drool

Verb

The two of them spent the rest of the night pressed together in the crowded bar, shouting at each other to be heard over the sound of drunk youth.

— Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026
What began as a pointed statement quickly expanded into a communal anthem, driven by a hook built to be shouted back.

— Brittney Williams, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of shout

Verb

Old Greeks and gods—some famous, like Achilles and Patroclus, others whom even a classicist might struggle to recognize—chat and complain about their condition like real people or clever schoolboys.

— Max Norman, Harpers Magazine, 22 Sep. 2026
Kelce took his time in the locker room following the late-night win, chatting with teammates and staff members who passed by his locker before answering a few questions from local media members.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 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

After a first half that was essentially all Florida — a stadium-rattling fourth-down stop in the first minutes, a pair of Jadan Baugh touchdowns and more than 80 yards and a 17-6 lead — Ole Miss sprang alive.

— Noah White, Miami Herald, 27 Sep. 2026
Investors were rattled this week as the benchmark 10-year Treasury yield soared to its highest level since 2007, but sticky inflation is just one of the factors behind this latest surge.

— Deena Zaidi, CNBC, 26 Sep. 2026

Definition of rattle

Verb

Some are painted with a stuttering distortion, like a computer image that’s failed to fully download.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
As Fernandes undertook his trademark run-up, Tielemans mirrored him exactly, sidestepping and stuttering in synchronisation.

— Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 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 30 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of sputter

verb

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