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
The Patriots got out to a hot start running the ball but sputtered out in the red zone on their ensuing drive.
—
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
The Niners’ defense is reeling, and the offense is sputtering.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
Democrats' ballyhooed and famously expensive bid to unseat her in 2020 sputtered to an 8-point defeat in a state that President Joe Biden carried by 9 points.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Unpopular Peruvian president removed from office Peruvian lawmakers impeached President Dina Boluarte and removed her from power, ending an unpopular presidency during which crime rates soared and the economy sputtered.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 19 Oct. 2025
The Niners’ defense is reeling, and the offense is sputtering.
—Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025
Democrats' ballyhooed and famously expensive bid to unseat her in 2020 sputtered to an 8-point defeat in a state that President Joe Biden carried by 9 points.
—NPR, 14 Oct. 2025
Unpopular Peruvian president removed from office Peruvian lawmakers impeached President Dina Boluarte and removed her from power, ending an unpopular presidency during which crime rates soared and the economy sputtered.
—Ben Smith, semafor.com, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, CWD can take months to years for symptoms to appear, which could include drastic weight loss, stumbling or lack of coordination, drooling and listlessness.—
Caroline Neal,
Louisville Courier Journal,
30 Oct. 2025
-
Naturally, the post attracted over 16,000 comments of women drooling over him.—
Essence,
Essence,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Those who predicted a doomed future for all of humanity called us addicts and criminals, leeches and slime (and way worse things) because we were detested, shouted at, dragged by our arms across bedrooms and public sporting events.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Oct. 2025
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In April, the couple navigated another mid-episode interruption — this time from an audience member who shouted out during an interview with actor Christopher Meloni.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For the chattering women, by contrast, the tool of power is writing; and for people who were almost certainly illiterate, the writing takes on almost magical characteristics.—
JSTOR Daily,
JSTOR Daily,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Weiss, the entrepreneurial and opinionated co-founder of The Free Press website, is an irresistible story to the media chattering classes.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
31 Oct. 2025
Verb
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But the other 3%, often muttered by students prospectively examining transfer applications, is distinct.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
30 Sep. 2025
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Your dad mutters for head movement, for cage cutting, for not playing off the back and creating distance.—
Matthew Shen Goodman,
Harpers Magazine,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Over a bite to eat, everybody kicked back and chatted it up a little.—
Jay Glennie,
Rolling Stone,
28 Oct. 2025
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The conversations comprise reflections, chat on strategy and debate about storytelling to offer listeners an insight into how different elements of the the creator economy functions.—
Jesse Whittock,
Deadline,
28 Oct. 2025
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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But any agreement reached will be just one touchstone in a thorny and volatile great power rivalry between the world’s superpower democracy and an authoritarian China, whose growing military assertiveness under Xi in the East and South China Seas is rattling US allies in the region.—
Betsy Klein,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
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On Tuesday, Sanae Takaichi met face-to-face with a man who has rattled leaders around the world, including her Japanese predecessors, on both security and economic fronts.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
28 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Arsenal had already won 4-1 at Selhurst Park that season, but their title defence was stuttering and manager George Graham craved more firepower.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
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The Lions fall to 4-2 with the defeat while the Chiefs continue to correct their stuttering start to the year by improving to 3-3.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
13 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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