sputter
Americanverb (used without object)
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to make explosive popping or sizzling sounds.
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to emit particles, sparks, etc., forcibly or explosively, especially accompanied by sputtering sounds.
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to eject particles of saliva, food, etc., from the mouth in a light spray, as when speaking angrily or excitedly.
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to utter or spit out words or sounds explosively or incoherently, as when angry or flustered.
verb (used with object)
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to emit (anything) forcibly and in small particles, as if by spitting.
The fire sputtered cinders.
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to eject (saliva, food, etc.) in small particles explosively and involuntarily, as in excitement.
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to utter explosively and incoherently.
noun
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the act or sound of sputtering.
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explosive, incoherent utterance.
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matter ejected in sputtering.
verb
noun
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the process or noise of sputtering
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incoherent stammering speech
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something that is ejected while sputtering
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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sputtersimple
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sputterssimple
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have sputteredperfect
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has sputteredperfect
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am sputteringprogressive
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are sputteringprogressive
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is sputteringprogressive
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have been sputteringperfect progressive
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has been sputteringperfect progressive
Past
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sputteredsimple
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had sputteredperfect
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was sputteringprogressive
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were sputteringprogressive
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had been sputteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of sputter
1590–1600; sput- (variant of spout ) + -er 6; cognate with Dutch sputteren
Explanation
When someone (or something) makes a soft, fast popping sound, they sputter. If you expect to win first prize in a poetry contest but don't, you might sputter, "But...but..." When you sputter, you're often angry, surprised, or otherwise at a loss for words. You may sputter incoherent sounds, or short syllables. When you start up your dirt bike, its engine sputters too, with muted exploding sounds. This word is also a noun: "The sputter from out on the lake told me he got the old motorboat going." In physics, to sputter is to send high-energy particles onto a material, dislodging tiny particles from its surface.
Vocabulary lists containing sputter
Excerpt from "Bad Boy"
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I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916
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I Survived the Galveston Hurricane, 1900
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
But shortly thereafter the rally began to sputter, as the below chart shows.
From MarketWatch ● May 27, 2026
Hopes had been high that the eurozone's traditional growth engine would sputter back to life in 2026 after years of stagnation, driven by Chancellor Friedrich Merz's public spending blitz.
From Barron's ● Apr. 22, 2026
And when they do, the room will sputter, “Wait, how did this not get a single Oscar nomination?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
The job market continues to sputter even as cost and price pressures persist, a Federal Reserve report found, underscoring the competing risks central bank officials will have to weigh at a key meeting next month.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 26, 2025
The airports stayed closed and occasionally the electricity would sputter and go off.
From "How I Live Now" by Meg Rosoff
Thankfully, there are a few moments when the album sputters into life.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
But as the red-hot chip-stock rally sputters, even the biggest bulls are wondering how much longer the latest leg of the AI frenzy can last and where money might go as it fades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 4, 2026
Small-cap companies tend to have weaker balance sheets, higher debt loads and can become more vulnerable to defaults than major corporations if the economy sputters.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026
A street market in a Buenos Aires working-class neighborhood bustles with desperate Argentines who have taken to hawking their belongings to make ends meet as the economy sputters.
From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025
In the distance, the station wagon sputters to life, then fades into the night.
From "A Step from Heaven" by An Na
Canada's economy had sputtered over the past year, as Trump's tariffs squeezed key sectors like auto-making, forced job losses and sent jitters across the business community.
From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026
While Hernández found contact on each of his at-bats, the rest of the team sputtered through six innings.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 26, 2026
The only way that would change is if the economy sputtered and layoffs begin to surge, analysts say.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 3, 2026
Throughout the year, several high-profile OpenAI commitments have sputtered, thanks to the company’s newfound frugality as well as an increasing sense of dissatisfaction from its business pals.
From Slate ● Mar. 25, 2026
“I have no idea—what the devil are you—snakes and—I haven’t time for your childish—,” he sputtered.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
China’s economy has been sputtering for a years, with consumers especially reluctant to spend, hurting some of those companies.
From Barron's ● May 31, 2026
Even though China’s growth momentum is sputtering, it remains unclear if policymakers will jump into action, as the solid economic performance in the first quarter and robust exports have reduced expectations for near-term stimulus measures.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 18, 2026
But he lets Magaro’s simmering fragility be a real presence: the sputtering glow of someone afraid to be the protagonist of his own story.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 1, 2026
Looking ahead: Powell, in his final press conference, admitted inflation is still a nagging problem five years after it spiked, but he said he sees no signs the economy is sputtering.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 30, 2026
Alyce, coughing and sputtering, traded jobs with the man who was lathering their backs.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
