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

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

Some held stock in cryptocurrency-related businesses that have sputtered amid the downfall of FTX and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 21, 2023

I have dusted some of the speeches, maltreated others, and finally cut out a few which would have sputtered out of the mouths of the actors like fringes of an old tapestry.

From An Essay Toward a History of Shakespeare in Norway by Ruud, Martin Brown