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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Our own sun will experience this latter transformation in around six billion years after shedding most of its mass during a swollen red giant phase, eventually sputtering out as a smoldering stellar ember.
—
Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 June 2025
After its starring role at WWDC 2024, Apple's AI solution sputtered into existence late in 2024 and hasn't done much since.
—Chloe Albanesius, PC Magazine, 9 June 2025
After a mediocre start to the season, Soto had really sputtered in the final three weeks of May, enduring a 10-for-66 stretch that included a .511 OPS.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 8 June 2025
And if the American economy starts to sputter on account of the tariffs, Trump will inevitably heap even more blame on the rest of the world.
—Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Robert Lea, Space.com, 12 June 2025
After its starring role at WWDC 2024, Apple's AI solution sputtered into existence late in 2024 and hasn't done much since.
—Chloe Albanesius, PC Magazine, 9 June 2025
After a mediocre start to the season, Soto had really sputtered in the final three weeks of May, enduring a 10-for-66 stretch that included a .511 OPS.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 8 June 2025
And if the American economy starts to sputter on account of the tariffs, Trump will inevitably heap even more blame on the rest of the world.
—Eswar Prasad, Foreign Affairs, 3 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
-
Leaning over him, Mary drools into Stack’s mouth, her appetite soon his own.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
-
The American Veterinary Medical Association recommends learning the signs of overheating in dogs such as excessive panting, restlessness, excessive drooling, unsteadiness, or abnormal gum and tongue color.—
Kelsey Monstrola,
USA Today,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
Because real branding isn’t about turning heads at the Met Gala or chasing clicks or shouting the loudest in the room.—
Jeetendr Sehdev,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
-
The chief example of rudeness here is shouting admonishments at other opera patrons.—
Judith Martin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
30 June 2025
Verb
-
Critics and the chattering masses on Instagram will have another chance to weigh in as the designers’ first collections hit the runway.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
13 June 2025
-
Large drips of white and blue paint obscure the chattering teeth frantically farmed in red in the lower canvas, hinting at water and perhaps someone being silenced.—
Natasha Gural,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Verb
-
McMurtry muttering bone-dry jokes at the end of the world.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
26 June 2025
-
Grandpa got up from his armchair and shuffled into the kitchen, muttering about needing a drink.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
Suge Knight recalled his final moments by 2Pac’s side in September 1996 while chatting from behind bars with People in a story published Tuesday (July 1).—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
1 July 2025
-
Think of it like chatting with a designer about your dream home.—
Aytekin Tank,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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
Verb
-
Failure to negotiate deals or further postpone the tariffs could once again rattle investors and consumers.—
Elaine Kurtenbach,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
-
The high tariffs China and the U.S. imposed on each other's goods rattled markets as American consumers faced higher prices on a wide array of products, like car seats and clothing, while American farmers feared Chinese consumers would buy fewer of their now more expensive food exports.—
Danielle Kurtzleben,
NPR,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
However, natural language processing is not yet perfect in factoring voice tone, slang, accents, pauses or stuttering into the interviewing equation.—
Matthew Corbett,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
The night raises awareness and funding for children who stutter and was founded by Taro Alexander in 2001.—
Alex Ross,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 11 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share