sputtering 1 of 2

adjective

as in muttering

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sputtering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of sputter
as in chattering
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly she was so shocked that, for a moment, all she could do was sputter

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 sputtering
Adjective
This season’s combination of a sputtering offense and a shaky bullpen – exposed again Sunday as the Brewers padded their lead in the late innings – is already way too stomach-churning for Dodger fans. — Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 17 Aug. 2026 Trump spoke now not only to distract from his sputtering Iran war and its effects on the economy, but also because his attempts to concretely interfere with the 2026 election thus far have almost all failed. — David A. Graham, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026 In one year, the Eagles’ offense went from a pick-your-poison attack that helped Philadelphia win the Super Bowl to a sputtering three-and-out machine. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 14 July 2026 This one required extra innings and undid a late surge by their sputtering offense. — Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 19 Apr. 2026 Voters first approved the tax in 2020 but lowered it in 2024 amid San Francisco’s sputtering economic recovery. — Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 Apr. 2026 In 2023, Authentic put the SI name on Lunatix, a sputtering ticket marketplace. — Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026 And, yet, at the same time football was sputtering, something else was building. — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 18 Mar. 2026 Drivers reported stalling, sputtering and newly illuminated check engine lights shortly after refueling their vehicles. — Elise Schmelzer, Denver Post, 6 Mar. 2026
Verb
His Toronto Maple Leafs, on the heels of three straight first-round playoff exits, were sputtering in November with a 9-10-4 record. — Janson Duench, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Some analysts attributed the drop-off to sputtering demand as investors moved past the company's splashy listing and took a closer look at its bottom line. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026 Wrangling my emotions became the difference between sputtering to a halt and moving forward. — Aytekin Tank, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Their side hustle is sputtering toward some sort of finish line, the Saudi’s Public Investment Fund having pulled the cashflow that made LIV so appealing in the first place. — Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 14 May 2026 So, the Dodgers’ offense has been sputtering as of late. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 4 May 2026 With the majority of their big-league starting lineup competing in the World Baseball Classic, the offense is sputtering big-time. — Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 6 Mar. 2026 After some false starts, a windfall came when David Geffen, the longtime contemporary art collector, made his historic pledge in 2017, injecting some excitement into a campaign that had been sputtering. — Nate Freeman, Vanity Fair, 6 Mar. 2026 But what could have been a clever commentary on family dysfunction, success and the American way falls flat, only occasionally sputtering to life. — Cary Darling, Houston Chronicle, 18 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputtering
  1. faltering
  2. chattering
  3. stuttering
  4. shouting
  5. mumbling
  6. drooling
  7. halting
  8. chatting
Adjective
  • The film spells out the gargantuan payouts that each Boeing CEO has received, despite the crashes and questions about their actions and the company’s faltering value.
    — Stuart Miller, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026
  • In 2019 and again in 2020, the company launched a pair of spacecraft that latched onto faltering communication satellites and steered them, providing extra years of life.
    — Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 22 July 2026
Definition of faltering
Verb
  • There was something that got a lot of people chattering in the world of math.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Some were already chattering about hitting Angine de Poitrine’s two nights at the Wiltern in December.
    — Josh Martin, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of chattering
Adjective
  • Windows Vista and its early WDDM woes had reduced my previously badass main PC with two Nvidia 7900GT cards in SLI to a stuttering BSOD-spitting mess, and the future of Microsoft OSes looked bleak—Windows 7 wouldn’t be along to change the situation for years.
    — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026
Definition of stuttering
Verb
  • Visually, the entire set was stunning, with fast cuts of Nancy Whang pounding on her keyboard, Al Doyle whirring his synthesizer, and Murphy shouting into his microphone, wrapped around his arm.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
  • During a third-quarter timeout with Indiana leading 81-75, Cloud began shouting toward Freedom at courtside and Freedom responded, prompting security to escort the former NBA center from the arena as the Fever went on to pull away for a 113-90 win.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of shouting
Adjective
  • The stop-motion digital series about a jolly, mumbling, pint-size cook serves up a big slice of serotonin.
    — Sonal Dutt, PEOPLE, 24 Sep. 2025
Definition of mumbling
Verb
  • Stuff like Caitlin Clark getting mugged with no foul being called, or Sophie Cunningham pointing at some obnoxious player, or ESPN drooling over a coach wearing a pro-trans shirt.
    — Zach Dean OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Video released by the Milwaukie Police Department shows Descamps sprawled in a hospital bed, his body limp, moaning and drooling, while medical staff stood nearby.
    — Brian Mann, NPR, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of drooling
Adjective
  • DeChatelet, an acting instructor at Florida Atlantic University, uses his halting speech to depict a person who’s afraid of offending anyone.
    — Oline Cogdill, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Such warnings from the administration were mentioned by Justice Sonia Sotomayor in her dissent as evidence of the harm suffered by the states already, and reason for the lower court’s ruling halting implementation to hold.
    — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of halting
Verb
  • In the video, the popular streamers Maya Higa and FaZe Adapt sit together on a log, chatting nonchalantly as a massive grizzly bear lumbers toward them.
    — Joe Wilkins, Futurism, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Google’s video showcasing this option sees the user using Chrome on a phone, where chatting with a chatbot might be easier.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of chatting

Browse Nearby Words

sputtered
sputtering
sputters
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Cite this Entry

“Sputtering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputtering. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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