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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of sputter
In 2025, Valanciunas was traded twice and finished the season with the Sacramento Kings, who sputtered in the Play-In.
—
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
The Blue Jackets had sputtered along offensively for more than two weeks, scoring only 16 goals during a 2-7-1 tailspin that knocked them out of a playoff spot.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Declines in groundwater levels have in recent years caused household wells to sputter and run dry, streams and wetlands to dry up, and land to sink, damaging canals and levees.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Melton sputtered in his previous five games.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 15 Apr. 2026
The Blue Jackets had sputtered along offensively for more than two weeks, scoring only 16 goals during a 2-7-1 tailspin that knocked them out of a playoff spot.
—Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2026
Declines in groundwater levels have in recent years caused household wells to sputter and run dry, streams and wetlands to dry up, and land to sink, damaging canals and levees.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 9 Apr. 2026
Melton sputtered in his previous five games.
—Ron Kroichick, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for sputter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputter
Verb
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Chase Reid, meanwhile, just put together a better-than-point-per-game season in the OHL and has the loud tools — the escapability and skating speed in particular — that have NHL scouts positively drooling.—
Thomas Drance,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Predators respond with head shaking, gaping, drooling, and frantic licking.—
Ryan Brennan,
Kansas City Star,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
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At one point, the crew shot a scene in which Whalen’s character joins a bar fight, shouting invectives at a hapless extra before pummelling him to the ground.—
Chang Che,
New Yorker,
25 Apr. 2026
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One final command was shouted by the officer.—
Brian Day,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The two lovebirds chattered on happily about the book.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
23 Apr. 2026
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Hardcore Survivor fans love to discuss and debate the intricacies of the game and their favorite seasons and winners in the same way that sports fans enjoy chattering nonstop about their teams.—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
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On Tuesday, cameras caught Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing muttering something after looking back at the Giants’ Jung Hoo Lee, who was in discomfort after an awkward slide at home plate.—
Bill Shaikin,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Apr. 2026
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The scent of vinegar fills the set, and a crew member wanders by muttering about dyeing Easter eggs.—
Kathryn VanArendonk,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The two men, who were flanked by their wives, chatted during the parade, which was capped with a flyover of four F-35 military jets.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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Flay first revealed that girlfriend Williamson was becoming a team captain while chatting with PEOPLE at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival (SOBEWFF) in February.—
Erin Clements,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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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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The majority, rather than being rattled by a president who had attempted a coup, labored to protect the country from the hypothetical danger of a presidency rendered impotent by specious criminal prosecutions.—
Gregg Nunziata,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
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Conflict in the Middle East is rattling energy markets, pushing up the cost of natural gas—the backbone of nitrogen fertilizer production—and exposing once again just how vulnerable farmers and families are to shocks beyond their control.—
Carlos Alvarado Quesada,
Fortune,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On a collaborative record where slurred Mandarin intersects with stuttering synths, the Chengdu rapper and his mentor interrogate the disconnect between social life and our internal worlds.—
James Gui,
Pitchfork,
17 Apr. 2026
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It’s equipped with a 75Hz refresh rate and AMD FreeSync technology to eliminate image tearing and stuttering, ensuring even fast action scenes remain seamless.—
Juhi Wadia,
PC Magazine,
27 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Sputter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputter. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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