as in muttering
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in drooling
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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sputtering
Michael Kugelman, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024
Those reports have unnerved British officials, who fear the tariffs could throttle the country’s already sputtering economic growth.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Kushner heaps flashback upon flashback; minor characters flare promisingly to life—a creepy uncle of Lucien’s, a disgruntled ex-Moulinard—before sputtering out, victims of their own inconsequence.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The Chinese economy is sputtering and the government is working on a stimulus package to boost the economy.
—Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
With the Mets offense still sputtering and the bullpen taxed, Dodgers phenom Ohtani added insult to injury in the eighth inning.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024
The fact that the Chargers have kept games close despite their sputtering offense is a testament to the defensive makeover under first-year coordinator Jesse Minter.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Last week, the Chinese government announced several broad measures to boost its economy, which has been sputtering and looks unlikely to meet its government’s annual growth target.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Verb
But if the reform process lags and if Bangladesh's sputtering economy doesn't improve, the public's patience could start to wear thin for an administration that for now enjoys ample support.
—Michael Kugelman, NPR, 21 Dec. 2024
Those reports have unnerved British officials, who fear the tariffs could throttle the country’s already sputtering economic growth.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 20 Dec. 2024
Kushner heaps flashback upon flashback; minor characters flare promisingly to life—a creepy uncle of Lucien’s, a disgruntled ex-Moulinard—before sputtering out, victims of their own inconsequence.
—Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 7 Oct. 2024
The Chinese economy is sputtering and the government is working on a stimulus package to boost the economy.
—Pamela N. Danziger, Forbes, 18 Oct. 2024
With the Mets offense still sputtering and the bullpen taxed, Dodgers phenom Ohtani added insult to injury in the eighth inning.
—Jacob Lev, CNN, 17 Oct. 2024
The fact that the Chargers have kept games close despite their sputtering offense is a testament to the defensive makeover under first-year coordinator Jesse Minter.
—Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 7 Oct. 2024
Last week, the Chinese government announced several broad measures to boost its economy, which has been sputtering and looks unlikely to meet its government’s annual growth target.
—Megan Poinski, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputtering
Verb
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After chatting to a voice LLM chatbot like ChatGPT, going back to trying to have a conversational user experience with Alexa (or Siri, or whoever) is frustrating.—
Bernard Marr,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
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At the time, Faustino was chatting with PEOPLE at the 30th annual Race to Erase MS gala and addressed why his former costar was not in attendance at the event.—
Raven Brunner,
People.com,
12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Forever doesn’t romanticize the teens’ initial attempts to consummate their relationship, and instead chooses to depict those early encounters in all their halting and awkward glory.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
8 May 2025
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But some researchers see climate change as halting—or even reversing—this improvement.—
Lillian Ali,
Smithsonian Magazine,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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More generally, the collective ongoing efforts by the Trump administration could equate to fewer opportunities for job seekers as employers become more hesitant to hire due to a lack of overall stability, veteran observers told Newsweek.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
7 May 2025
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Still, a lack of progress signs has left many investors hesitant to trust the mid-April rebound.—
Lisa Kailai Han,
CNBC,
6 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputtering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputtering. Accessed 22 May. 2025.
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