Sputter
verb
To speak quickly in a confused or excited way.
When he saw the bear, he started sputtering out a warning to his friends.
Often appears as...
- sputter out
- sputter something
verb
To make a series of soft explosive sounds.
The old car sputtered and coughed before finally starting.
Often appears as...
- sputter and cough
- sputter to a start
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To spit out small particles in an irregular manner.
The hot oil sputtered as she added the vegetables.
Often appears as...
- sputter oil
- sputter fire
noun
A soft explosive sound.
There was a sputter of the engine, and then silence.
Often appears as...
- sputter of the engine
- sputter of the fire
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To speak quickly in a confused or excited way.
When he saw the bear, he started sputtering out a warning to his friends.
Often appears as...
- sputter out
- sputter something
verb
To make a series of soft explosive sounds.
The old car sputtered and coughed before finally starting.
Often appears as...
- sputter and cough
- sputter to a start
Usage tips
Disapproving
verb
To spit out small particles in an irregular manner.
The hot oil sputtered as she added the vegetables.
Often appears as...
- sputter oil
- sputter fire
noun
A soft explosive sound.
There was a sputter of the engine, and then silence.
Often appears as...
- sputter of the engine
- sputter of the fire
Usage tips
Disapproving
Definition 1 of 4
Pro Tip 1/2Emotional Speech
Used when emotions disrupt clear speaking, often due to excitement, fear, or confusion.
Caught off guard by the question, he sputtered an unclear response.
Pro Tip 2/2Sudden Interruption
When surprised or interrupted, someone may sputter as they try to regain composure.
She was sputtering with outrage after he interrupted her.
Pro Tip 1/2Emotional Speech
Used when emotions disrupt clear speaking, often due to excitement, fear, or confusion.
Caught off guard by the question, he sputtered an unclear response.
Pro Tip 2/2Sudden Interruption
When surprised or interrupted, someone may sputter as they try to regain composure.
She was sputtering with outrage after he interrupted her.
Pro Tip 1/2Emotional Speech
Used when emotions disrupt clear speaking, often due to excitement, fear, or confusion.
Caught off guard by the question, he sputtered an unclear response.
Pro Tip 2/2Sudden Interruption
When surprised or interrupted, someone may sputter as they try to regain composure.
She was sputtering with outrage after he interrupted her.
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Video examples
What I discovered in New...
in very real ways. Diseases we've had in check for decades and centuries burst forth again and start to harm us. The economy needs them. If we can't throw out the old stuff, we have no room for the new stuff, so then the engines of the economy start to sputter when consumption is compromised.
Video examples
Mysteries of vernacular:...
rather graphically, to the sputtering or hissing of a gas or liquid being forced out of a narrow opening. The figurative sense of the word, a weak ending, is thus understandable within the context of a flame consuming the last drops of oil in a lantern
Video examples
Life Beyond Earth, Part...
at least simple life forms, simple microbes, maybe single-celled things; how does life begin? Does it begin with a spark, a sputter, a smolder? Does it evolve slowly? Or is it that when you have simple-celled organisms, microorganisms,
Video examples
What I discovered in New...
in very real ways. Diseases we've had in check for decades and centuries burst forth again and start to harm us. The economy needs them. If we can't throw out the old stuff, we have no room for the new stuff, so then the engines of the economy start to sputter when consumption is compromised.
Video examples
Mysteries of vernacular:...
rather graphically, to the sputtering or hissing of a gas or liquid being forced out of a narrow opening. The figurative sense of the word, a weak ending, is thus understandable within the context of a flame consuming the last drops of oil in a lantern
Video examples
Life Beyond Earth, Part...
at least simple life forms, simple microbes, maybe single-celled things; how does life begin? Does it begin with a spark, a sputter, a smolder? Does it evolve slowly? Or is it that when you have simple-celled organisms, microorganisms,
Example 1 of 3
Quote examples
Raja Krishnamoorthi
American Businessman
For too long, people in Washington and Congress point fingers at each other, even as millions of middle-class Americans remain unemployed and our economy continues to sputter. They must realize that we are all in this together, and I respectfully submit that the best way to remind Congress of this is to tie their pay to their collective results.
Quote examples
Terry Glavin
Canadian Author
Argentina has elected a centre-right president, Mauricio Macri. Bolivia's Evo Morales, having lost a referendum that would have allowed him a fourth presidential term, spends his time muttering about CIA plots and issuing threats to jail journalists who persist in reporting influence-peddling scandals. The economy is a sputtering shambles.
Quote examples
Gregory Benford
American Physicist
To us large creatures, space-time is like the sea seen from an ocean liner, smooth and serene. Up close, though, on tiny scales, it's waves and bubbles. At extremely fine scales, pockets and bubbles of space-time can form at random, sputtering into being, then dissolving.
Quote examples
John J. McLaughlin
American Journalist
I predict 2016 will be a year of upheaval and realignment across the world. China's economy will continue to sputter. Commodity exporting countries will suffer. Europe's growth will remain flat-lined. The U.S. will plug along at under 3% growth.
Quote examples
Chris Avellone
American Designer
We've pitched and even begun development on a number of fantasy worlds that have never seen the light of day. All of those worlds... It's soul-crushing to see them sputter out, one by one. Lost. Like tears. In rain.
Quote examples
Dick Morris
American Author
Yes' is a far more potent word than 'no' in American politics. By adopting the positions which animate the political agenda for the other side, one can disarm them and leave them sputtering with nothing to say.
Quote examples
Gore Vidal
American Novelist
From April 1775 to July 1776, the undeclared war between England and its American colonies smoldered, flared up, appeared to sputter out... It was hardly, ever, a mass rebellion.
Quote examples
Ian Frazier
American Writer
I suppose anybody just losing it and sputtering curses is pretty funny. But I think it would be more of a challenge, much more of a challenge, to make a cursing dad funny.
Quote examples
William S. Burroughs
American Writer
A cat's rage is beautiful, burning with pure cat flame, all its hair standing up and crackling blue sparks, eyes blazing and sputtering.
Quote examples
Joel Grey
American Actor
My father was the one who used to stand up in the middle of a number to flutter his lips and make sputtering sounds into lyrics.
Quote examples
Raja Krishnamoorthi
American Businessman
For too long, people in Washington and Congress point fingers at each other, even as millions of middle-class Americans remain unemployed and our economy continues to sputter. They must realize that we are all in this together, and I respectfully submit that the best way to remind Congress of this is to tie their pay to their collective results.
Quote examples
Terry Glavin
Canadian Author
Argentina has elected a centre-right president, Mauricio Macri. Bolivia's Evo Morales, having lost a referendum that would have allowed him a fourth presidential term, spends his time muttering about CIA plots and issuing threats to jail journalists who persist in reporting influence-peddling scandals. The economy is a sputtering shambles.
Quote examples
Gregory Benford
American Physicist
To us large creatures, space-time is like the sea seen from an ocean liner, smooth and serene. Up close, though, on tiny scales, it's waves and bubbles. At extremely fine scales, pockets and bubbles of space-time can form at random, sputtering into being, then dissolving.
Quote examples
John J. McLaughlin
American Journalist
I predict 2016 will be a year of upheaval and realignment across the world. China's economy will continue to sputter. Commodity exporting countries will suffer. Europe's growth will remain flat-lined. The U.S. will plug along at under 3% growth.
Quote examples
Chris Avellone
American Designer
We've pitched and even begun development on a number of fantasy worlds that have never seen the light of day. All of those worlds... It's soul-crushing to see them sputter out, one by one. Lost. Like tears. In rain.
Quote examples
Dick Morris
American Author
Yes' is a far more potent word than 'no' in American politics. By adopting the positions which animate the political agenda for the other side, one can disarm them and leave them sputtering with nothing to say.
Quote examples
Gore Vidal
American Novelist
From April 1775 to July 1776, the undeclared war between England and its American colonies smoldered, flared up, appeared to sputter out... It was hardly, ever, a mass rebellion.
Quote examples
Ian Frazier
American Writer
I suppose anybody just losing it and sputtering curses is pretty funny. But I think it would be more of a challenge, much more of a challenge, to make a cursing dad funny.
Quote examples
William S. Burroughs
American Writer
A cat's rage is beautiful, burning with pure cat flame, all its hair standing up and crackling blue sparks, eyes blazing and sputtering.
Quote examples
Joel Grey
American Actor
My father was the one who used to stand up in the middle of a number to flutter his lips and make sputtering sounds into lyrics.
Example 1 of 10
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