as in shouts
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 sputters
Daboll says Wilson will get another start Sunday in Dallas, but if the offense sputters again, don’t be surprised if rookie Jaxson Dart gets the call.
—
Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
While the climax sputters a bit, the rest is taut and engrossing.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Andy Scholes, CNN Money, 11 Sep. 2025
While the climax sputters a bit, the rest is taut and engrossing.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputters
Verb
-
Ben shouts out of his car window.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Shannon shouts, her words drifting back to Jenn in the rear seat.—
Peter Larsen,
Oc Register,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Seattle crowd rattles the kids, the pass game is out of sync after, effectively, never practicing together this August, and Riq Woolen and Devon Witherspoon have Ricky Pearsall locked down.—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
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Trump’s war on wind, solar rattles clean energy industry.—
Kristina Karisch,
The Hill,
26 Aug. 2025
Verb
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One of the three new global ambassadors for BOSS Bottled Beyond, Maluma chats behind-the-scenes of shooting the new campaign with Bradley Cooper and Vinicius Júnior.—
Celia Shatzman,
Forbes.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Below, Dev Hynes chats with Billboard about how his new Blood Orange record came together, and how aging and nostalgia inspired his rawest album yet.—
Mackenzie Cummings-Grady,
Billboard,
3 Sep. 2019
Verb
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From the first moment, the vibe is off, as Brady looks earnestly at Rooney, the England legend mumbles and gives vague answers.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputters.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputters. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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