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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Recent Examples of sputter
Cerabyte uses sputtered 10nm ceramic layers on a glass substrate.
—
Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Squeeze the handle too lightly and the bottle would sputter and hiss but release nothing.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
Denver assembled with four minutes to play in regulation, down 27-23 after a true seesaw of a playoff game, its offense having once again sputtered to a halt in a season of fits and starts.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Jan. 2026
When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Thomas Coughlin, Forbes.com, 21 Jan. 2026
Squeeze the handle too lightly and the bottle would sputter and hiss but release nothing.
—Literary Hub, 20 Jan. 2026
Denver assembled with four minutes to play in regulation, down 27-23 after a true seesaw of a playoff game, its offense having once again sputtered to a halt in a season of fits and starts.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 17 Jan. 2026
When the time came for Alan Cumming to cease deliberations, Michael was reduced to sputtering epithets in random sequences.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 16 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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This indulgent treat already has fans drooling—and many Costco members have been running to their local bakeries to see if the Cookie Bar Cake is still in stock.—
Sophia Beams,
Better Homes & Gardens,
20 Jan. 2026
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That’s a job for Hankton, who will still have an immensely talented unit, one most coaches would drool over.—
Cameron Teague Robinson,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Vincent Hawkins was shouting at officers when one of them shot a tear gas canister at him.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
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In November, LaVine had an altercation with a Kings season ticket holder who shouted angrily at him during a timeout, criticizing his effort and defense in a viral video moment.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Despite the teeth-chattering weather, a crush formed outside (SUB)MERCER, a discreet club tucked beneath The Mercer Hotel in SoHo, with everyone vying for a nod from the bouncer or publicist Sasha Sheehan.—
Kelsey Stewart,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
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He’s best known at this point either for playing the clownish Jack on Will & Grace or for being the relatively serious one of the three celebrity chatters on his podcast, Smartless.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In the village, men mutter about their land being taken over by outsiders.—
Catherine Bray,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
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But the bad news is that outside of a mutual prisoner exchange, both sides walked away muttering the same old positions.—
Daniel DePetris,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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As attendees chatted over pizza and Jack Daniel’s, Thiel slipped in through the back door, joining the hipsters on folding chairs.—
James Duesterberg,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
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Come bake and learn with us—and don't forget to join the Bake Club group chat over on Substack.—
Emily Elias,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
18 Feb. 2026
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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His pursuit of ownership of Greenland, a Danish territory, has also rattled European leaders in recent months.—
Azhar Sukri,
CNBC,
15 Feb. 2026
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At last year's conference, Vice President JD Vance delivered a combative address that rattled European capitals and fueled fears of an accelerating trans-Atlantic split.—
Olivia Gazis,
CBS News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This has provided early confidence that 2026 will be a far cry from that stuttering start 12 years ago.—
Luke Smith,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Sassy 009 was once a trio of classmates from Oslo: three cool, elusive voices swirling and stuttering against a gentle barrage of programmed ploinks, like club music by the jaded girls sitting at the back of the room.—
Kieran Press-Reynolds,
Pitchfork,
22 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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