sputter
verb (used without object)
to make explosive popping or sizzling sounds.
have sputtered
-
present perfectof sputter.present perfect
Used to describe actions that started in the past and continue into or have direct relevance to the present.
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.
Job opportunities for college graduates have sputtered in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 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
Efforts to locate the wreckage of the Boeing 777 have sputtered over the years and hundreds of families of those on board remain haunted by the tragedy.
From BBC ● Dec. 20, 2024
This has been a common theme of the Dodgers’ recent postseason failings, when high-powered lineups have sputtered in surprise playoff eliminations.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2024
He will have no statement to make; for if he had had, he would have sputtered it out before anything else.
From Dio's Rome, Volume 3 An Historical Narrative Originally Composed in Greek During The Reigns of Septimius Severus, Geta and Caracalla, Macrinus, Elagabalus and Alexander Severus by Herbert Baldwin Foster
