sputtered 1 of 2

adjective

as in shouted

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sputtered

2 of 2

verb

past tense of sputter
as in drooled
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly she was so shocked that, for a moment, all she could do was sputter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sputtered
Adjective
Researchers then installed the electrodes and coated the structure with sputtered gold. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 13 Oct. 2026
Verb
Jansen took 4-15 in six overs, with Anrich Nortje taking 1-5 before walking off injured, as Australia sputtered early on. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Florida State has sputtered this season and Miami has not lost a game. — Chantz Martin Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026 A week after the defense was gashed by Nebraska, the offense sputtered to find its rhythm. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026 Yet, when the rest of the team’s offense sputtered for long stretches, Ohtani’s inability to rescue his team at the plate was even more pronounced. — Andrew Greif, NBC news, 16 Oct. 2026 The Broncos got the ball back after Herbert came up short on fourth-and-1, and the Chargers sputtered the rest of the way. — CBS News, 11 Oct. 2026 In the wake of a depressing 69-93 season that sputtered out from the get-go, as so many a Royals campaign does, the club promptly made some substantial changes. — Kansas City Star, 4 Oct. 2026 The real concerns came on offense, where the Trojans uncharacteristically sputtered. — Los Angeles Times, 4 Oct. 2026 The offense sputtered most of the night, totaling just 231 yards, including a career-low 119 passing yards and two interceptions by sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. — Jeff Faraudo, Mercury News, 25 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputtered
  1. shouted
  2. drooled
  3. muttered
  4. chattered
  5. breathed
  6. chatted
  7. whispered
  8. rattled
Adjective
  • Now, the sequence is more likely to end in shouted abuse and maybe a scuffle, the video shot on phones and streamed — sometimes live — on platforms like Kick or Facebook.
    — Zoe Sottile, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • This blend of styles is not only about presenting contrasts—clean versus shouted vocals, melodic versus dissonant riffs, headbanging versus moshing—but also preserving the murky in-between that only elevates the extreme.
    — Sam Sodomsky, Pitchfork, 7 Jan. 2026
Definition of shouted
Verb
  • Who had broken a wrist on the back-yard flagstones, drooled cherry medicine down her sleeping face on the car ride back from the hospital.
    — Emma Cline, New Yorker, 9 Aug. 2026
  • For Valentine's Day 2026, the retailer released a confetti glass icon candle that shoppers drooled over.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 17 June 2026
Definition of drooled
Adjective
  • Often made by anonymous rappers and producers with a monkish dedication to their craft, this isn’t rap for the live show but for the headphones, music where every muttered word and barely-there snare matters.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 26 June 2026
Definition of muttered
Verb
  • Suspended in a pool, holding onto an oxygen mask as her teeth chattered, Julia Wolf began to seriously consider the possibility of hypothermia.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Some raved about the experience to those in line while others chattered among themselves about their thoughts.
    — Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of chattered
Adjective
  • His wraparound, tight-quarters assist on a Keshad Johnson dunk in the second half breathed fire into the lungs of the home crowd.
    — Bryce Miller Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Nov. 2021
Definition of breathed
Verb
  • Deputies and politicos chatted over festive music while the local news played silently on a big screen at El Pescador Bar and Grill in Carson, which served as Luna’s campaign headquarters on Tuesday.
    — Connor Sheets, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Her husband, Tracy Letts, chatted intimately with her TV husband, Morgan Spector, wearing matching Margiela with his real-life wife, Rebecca Hall.
    — The Editors, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of chatted
Adjective
  • For many leaders, the phrase conjures up whispered alliances, opportunistic loyalty, self-interested maneuvering and the slow poisoning of organizational culture.
    — Harrison Monarth, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
Definition of whispered
Verb
  • The spending spree rattled Democrats in Georgia and Washington.
    — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Earnings reports like these have rattled investors in recent months because of the hundreds of billions of dollars that are being poured into the AI sector.
    — Steve Kopack, NBC news, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of rattled

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Cite this Entry

“Sputtered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputtered. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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