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
Last year, an enormous map of the cosmos hinted that the engine driving cosmic expansion might be sputtering.
—
Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
But reality bit by mid-2021, when the Fed began signaling tapering while Europe’s recovery sputtered.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
April 26, 2025 The Chargers used the draft to add firepower to an offense that sputtered last season.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Colorado blew a lead in Game 1 as Marquez sputtered and the offense went silent after some early highlights, then besides one player, the bats were M.I.A. in Game 2.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
But reality bit by mid-2021, when the Fed began signaling tapering while Europe’s recovery sputtered.
—Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
April 26, 2025 The Chargers used the draft to add firepower to an offense that sputtered last season.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Apr. 2025
Colorado blew a lead in Game 1 as Marquez sputtered and the offense went silent after some early highlights, then besides one player, the bats were M.I.A. in Game 2.
—Kyle Newman, Denver Post, 24 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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My baby mutters and drool drips down his chin from his new molar.—
Jessica Slice,
Time,
9 May 2025
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Collectors drool over the wrist watch from the ‘60s.—
Richard Johnson,
New York Daily News,
6 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Traditionally, the upside down American flag signals distress, and that was the mood expressed as speakers shouted, cried and chanted with the crowd of around 100 people.—
Harley Walls,
Arkansas Online,
17 May 2025
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In a separate post, Cabrera shouted out some teammates who came and visited him in the hospital overnight.—
Ryan Canfield,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2025
Verb
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The chattering motion involved the lower beak snapping about 12 times per second.—
Sara Hashemi,
Smithsonian Magazine,
13 May 2025
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Amid the chattering crowds and drum beats, a boy chased his father around the corner of the plaza.—
Nollyanne Delacruz,
Mercury News,
7 May 2025
Verb
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He is made, late in the show, to feign a seizure in a moment that doesn’t land, and the blocking of his final scene, in which the actor mutters to the ceiling while lying on his back, similarly thuds.—
Daniel D'Addario,
Variety,
24 Mar. 2025
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Victoria barely muttered a word to Kate, who approached the Ratliffs during a meal, making the exchange extra awkward.—
Alli Rosenbloom,
CNN Money,
5 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The 24-year-old gymnast appeared on the 2025 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue cover and reflected on her achievement while chatting with PEOPLE.—
Elizabeth Ayoola,
Essence,
15 May 2025
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The pair allegedly met on Roblox in March and had chatted on Discord for several weeks.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
15 May 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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The brutal stabbings rattled Moscow, a city of 25,000 people that hadn’t recorded a murder since 2015.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
15 May 2025
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But the winds of change in Colorado caused this particular branch in Blue to rattle and sway.—
Steve Henson,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2025
Verb
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Despite trailing heavily in the first-round vote, Dan’s campaign has picked up momentum in recent days while his rival’s has stuttered.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
16 May 2025
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Calling out to a congresswoman Biden knew had died isn't stuttering.—
Mark R. Weaver,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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