sputter

American  

[spuht-er] / ˈspʌt ər /

verb (used without object)

1. to make explosive popping or sizzling sounds.

2. to emit particles, sparks, etc., forcibly or explosively, especially accompanied by sputtering sounds.

3. to eject particles of saliva, food, etc., from the mouth in a light spray, as when speaking angrily or excitedly.

4. to utter or spit out words or sounds explosively or incoherently, as when angry or flustered.

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verb (used with object)

1. to emit (anything) forcibly and in small particles, as if by spitting.

   The fire sputtered cinders.

2. to eject (saliva, food, etc.) in small particles explosively and involuntarily, as in excitement.

3. to utter explosively and incoherently.

noun

1. the act or sound of sputtering.

2. explosive, incoherent utterance.

3. matter ejected in sputtering.

sputter British  

/ ˈspʌtə /

verb

1. another word for splutter splutter splutter

2. physics

   1. to undergo or cause to undergo a process in which atoms of a solid are removed from its surface by the impact of high-energy ions, as in a discharge tube

   2. to coat (a film of a metal) onto (a solid surface) by using this process

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noun

1. the process or noise of sputtering

2. incoherent stammering speech

3. something that is ejected while sputtering

Other Word Forms

• sputterer noun
• sputteringly adverb

Etymology

Origin of sputter

1590–1600; sput- (variant of spout ) + -er ⁶; cognate with Dutch sputteren

Example Sentences

It was an unsettling end to the season for the Rams, who lost back-to-back games at Seattle and Atlanta, then got off to a sputtering start in the finale against Arizona.

From Los Angeles Times

In this regime, physical sputtering plays a dominant role in shaping plasma behavior.

From Science Daily

But over the course of this season’s playoff quarterfinals, these historic superpowers saw their high-octane offenses reduced to a sputter.

From The Wall Street Journal

As Boston’s biotech engine sputters, Ph.D.s can’t find work.

From The Wall Street Journal

Boston’s biotech sector, long a vital economic engine for one of America’s wealthiest metro areas, is sputtering.

From The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• falter
• stammer
• stutter