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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 sputter
These weaker strains of the disease eventually sputtered out and went extinct.
—
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 3 June 2025
Their lineup, meanwhile, was sputtering against a premium pitcher, inducing little stress against major league ERA leader Max Fried after an Ohtani homer to start the night.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
In Game 3, Porter got hot when Jokić and Murray were sputtering.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The issue is that the offense will sputter again if the offensive line is not in top shape.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 3 June 2025
Their lineup, meanwhile, was sputtering against a premium pitcher, inducing little stress against major league ERA leader Max Fried after an Ohtani homer to start the night.
—Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 31 May 2025
In Game 3, Porter got hot when Jokić and Murray were sputtering.
—Tony Jones, New York Times, 16 May 2025
The issue is that the offense will sputter again if the offensive line is not in top shape.
—James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
-
The signs of a dog that is overheating include unusually excess panting and rapid breathing, drooling, lethargy or disorientation, and if their gums are bright red.—
Dr. John De Jong,
Boston Herald,
6 July 2025
-
Panting, drooling, rapid heart rate and pale gums also point to the condition, and the dog may position its body in a downward-facing pose.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 June 2025
Verb
-
Most of those shouting questions at Tatis for 45 minutes were doing so in Spanish.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
14 July 2025
-
However, Ultraman is simple-minded and purely exists to follow Luthor's directions, down to the exact attack moves his handler shouts into his earpiece during fights.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
14 July 2025
Verb
-
The squirrel, however, is quicker—leaping up a tree and chattering in irritation from a safe distance.—
Lydia Patrick,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 June 2025
-
Critics and the chattering masses on Instagram will have another chance to weigh in as the designers’ first collections hit the runway.—
Evan Clark,
Footwear News,
13 June 2025
Verb
-
Before immediately snapping, sighing loudly, or muttering a passive-aggressive comment, try pausing to consider what else might be going on first: Maybe your barista’s slammed with 10 other complicated orders, for instance, or your housemate had a brutal week at work.—
Jenna Ryu,
SELF,
17 June 2025
-
McMurtry muttering bone-dry jokes at the end of the world.—
Philip Martin,
Arkansas Online,
26 June 2025
Verb
-
The Drake Equation, created in 1961 by astronomer Frake Drake, is a way researchers guesstimate how many alien civilizations might be chatting out there in the Milky Way.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr,
Forbes.com,
14 July 2025
-
On the outing, the couple was photographed walking together side-by-side, chatting and smiling.—
Bailey Richards,
People.com,
13 July 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
-
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
-
On a recent evening visit, Miller was rattled by the call of coyotes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
12 July 2025
-
The tariff threats have rattled Brazil's exporters.—
Carrie Kahn,
NPR,
10 July 2025
Verb
-
However, natural language processing is not yet perfect in factoring voice tone, slang, accents, pauses or stuttering into the interviewing equation.—
Matthew Corbett,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
-
The night raises awareness and funding for children who stutter and was founded by Taro Alexander in 2001.—
Alex Ross,
People.com,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share