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
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
When a loose puck sputtered away from Logan Thompson in a goal-mouth scramble, Schaefer dived in and poked it into the net.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
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
When a loose puck sputtered away from Logan Thompson in a goal-mouth scramble, Schaefer dived in and poked it into the net.
—Peter Baugh, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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Naturally, the post attracted over 16,000 comments of women drooling over him.—
Essence,
Essence,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Flores will drool across the Irish Sea this week at the thought of welcoming a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start.—
Jason Lloyd,
New York Times,
28 Sep. 2025
Verb
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That mute minute in an otherwise ever-bobbing, ever-shouting crowd (a portion of which camped outside the Spectrum Center) was a testament to Eilish’s ability to hold her own on a stage that — other than the occasional burst of fire and blitzing lights — had little frill.—
Julia Coin,
Charlotte Observer,
21 Oct. 2025
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Climate was barely mentioned, though scientists have been studying and shouting about its relevance in worsening wildfires for years.—
Joan Meiners,
AZCentral.com,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
With every enemy dead, the familiar sounds of the Halo universe are gone — there’s no Grunts squeaking insults or Jackals chattering in another language.—
Alyssa Mercante,
Rolling Stone,
24 Oct. 2025
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While some kids seem to chatter nonstop before age 2, others may take a little longer to find their words.—
Hannah Nwoko,
Parents,
20 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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Amid all the fanfare, the SKIMS founder had a chance to chat with Variety on the carpet and admitted that going incognito was a last minute decision that her makeup artist wasn't so pleased about.—
Michelle Lee,
PEOPLE,
21 Oct. 2025
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With all that, and more to come, including the final selections and programming categories of world premieres and more, Hernandez chatted with me about what Sundance is planning for 2026, the loss of Bob Redford, and what’s in store for the big move to Boulder, CO for the 2027 festival.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
21 Oct. 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
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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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Success doesn't rattle him, failure doesn't rattle him.—
Kyle McGovern,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 Oct. 2025
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The use of CIDs – a legal tool that allows the government to gather information during a civil investigation – rattled corporate America.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His goal against Brentford typified this transformation, carving out a chance by brute force to drag a stuttering City performance over the line.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
17 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 28 Oct. 2025.
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