splutter
Americanverb (used without object)
-
splutters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spluttered,
past participle, past
-
spluttering
present participle
-
to talk rapidly and somewhat incoherently, as when confused, excited, or embarrassed.
When pushed for an explanation, he always spluttered.
-
to make a sputtering sound, or emit particles of something explosively, as water dropped onto a hot griddle.
-
to fly or fall in particles or drops; spatter, as a liquid.
verb (used with object)
-
splutters,
present (3rd person singular)
-
spluttered,
past participle, past
-
spluttering
present participle
-
to utter hastily and confusedly or incoherently; sputter.
Out of breath, she spluttered a poor excuse for her lateness.
-
to spatter (a liquid, small particles, etc.).
-
to bespatter (someone or something).
noun
-
spluttering utterance or talk; noise or fuss.
-
a sputtering or spattering, as of liquid.
verb
-
to spit out (saliva, food particles, etc) from the mouth in an explosive manner, as through choking or laughing
-
to utter (words) with spitting sounds, as through rage or choking
-
Also: sputter. to eject or be ejected in an explosive manner
sparks spluttered from the fire
-
(tr) to bespatter (a person) with tiny particles explosively ejected
he spluttered the boy next to him with ink
noun
-
the process or noise of spluttering
-
spluttering incoherent speech, esp in argument
-
anything ejected through spluttering
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
spluttersimple
-
splutterssimple
-
have splutteredperfect
-
has splutteredperfect
-
am splutteringprogressive
-
are splutteringprogressive
-
is splutteringprogressive
-
have been splutteringperfect progressive
-
has been splutteringperfect progressive
Past
-
splutteredsimple
-
had splutteredperfect
-
was splutteringprogressive
-
were splutteringprogressive
-
had been splutteringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of splutter
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:
The conveyor belt was ready, the empty bottles were stacked and the machinery was about to splutter into life.
From New York Times ● Jul. 11, 2023
Years of record-low rates have fuelled the tech stock rally but with those rates now rising again the appeal of stratospherically-valued tech stocks gets dimmer for investors, especially if their growth trajectories splutter.
From Reuters ● Feb. 21, 2022
So as we splutter rather than sashay into the New Year, tell us how you’re seeing in the New Year.
From The Guardian ● Dec. 31, 2021
Only when I'd translated my destination from Catalan did the disembodied voice of the hire car's computerised navigator splutter into life.
From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2018
Nailer fought the urge to splutter and cough.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
“Words,” Jeffrey splutters to Khristen, “have enabled us to get no nearer to …” Then he trails off, stunned into silence by the inability of narrative to reckon with the world.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 7, 2021
"Pops? I am only two years older than you," splutters Paterson.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2016
“Everyone is promoting themselves,” Mr. Ahmad splutters later.
From New York Times ● Aug. 6, 2016
“Well, y’know,” she splutters, “I just, like, copied the story out on to the page.”
From The Guardian ● May 14, 2016
She coughs and splutters as settlement men grab the boat to clamber on.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
Until recently, the Cuban economy spluttered by on cheap supplies of Venezuelan oil.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Indeed, I found myself feeling a personal bond with the calm and implacable voice guiding our progress even as my spouse spluttered and argued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2025
The Gunners looked every inch a team without a recognised main forward as they laboured and spluttered to break down Leicester City's game but limited resistance at King Power Stadium.
From BBC ● Feb. 15, 2025
Wyman hoped the local population would take proud ownership of the bee in order to protect it, too, but the conversations tailed off, the momentum spluttered, he says.
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2022
At last he spluttered, “The Quibbler? That lunatic rag of Xeno Lovegood’s?”
From "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
City weren't at their best in the second half, but they held on to pile pressure on spluttering Arsenal, who travel to Tottenham for the north London derby on Sunday.
From Barron's ● Feb. 21, 2026
Manchester United condemned Liverpool to a fourth successive defeat as Harry Maguire's late goal sealed a 2-1 win over the spluttering Premier League champions on Sunday.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2025
Governments talk about spending more on defence, while most European economies are spluttering.
From BBC ● Jun. 4, 2025
But that motor is spluttering, to put it mildly.
From BBC ● Dec. 4, 2024
Quinn could hear the water spluttering against the glass dome, and his long-trained mind made the suggestion that Lee hadn’t told the truth about having fresh-made coffee.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
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.
