sputter

American  

[spuht-er] / ˈspʌt ər /

verb (used without object)

• sputters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sputtered,
  past participle,  past
• sputtering
  present participle

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)

• sputters,
  present (3rd person singular)
• sputtered,
  past participle,  past
• sputtering
  present participle

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

Derived Forms

• sputterer
  noun
• sputteringly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• sputtering
  present
• sputtered
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• sputter
  simple
• sputters
  simple
• have sputtered
  perfect
• has sputtered
  perfect
• am sputtering
  progressive
• are sputtering
  progressive
• is sputtering
  progressive
• have been sputtering
  perfect progressive
• has been sputtering
  perfect progressive

Past

• sputtered
  simple
• had sputtered
  perfect
• was sputtering
  progressive
• were sputtering
  progressive
• had been sputtering
  perfect progressive

Future

• will sputter
  simple
• will have sputtered
  perfect
• will be sputtering
  progressive
• will have been sputtering
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sputter sputters sputtered sputtering

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

If an oil shock persisted long enough, economic growth could also sputter.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 24, 2026

But there are signs the engine is beginning to sputter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 17, 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

Shaking my head back and forth, I sputter, “It's just my mom. It's nothing new.”

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

Plus: Uber teams up with Zipline for drone deliveries; home-improvement revival sputters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Thankfully, there are a few moments when the album sputters into life.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 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

She sputters, she's so angry, but then she draws herself up, pulling out the Mask that lives at her core.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Their offense has sputtered and wheezed, even as their defense has done its part to keep them in games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Quarterback Sam Darnold with a hip injury after the opening drive, and the offense sputtered in his absence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The investigation into Shakur's murder sputtered for decades because of a lack of evidence, but the case was revived when Davis's memoirs were published in 2019.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

They took their proverbial foot off the gas, ran out of gas, sputtered to the finish line, got outscored 23-7 in the fourth quarter and looked like anything but a team with serious playoff plans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

It kicked on, sputtered twice, and then settled into a steady hum.

From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat

In turn, the technorati are sputtering, trying to regroup for their counteroffensive while laying blame for why the dreams of AI aren’t being embraced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Friday’s figures provided an initial look at the world’s second-largest economy heading into the third quarter, following official data that showed growth sputtering in the April-June period amid a pullback in government and private spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

The researchers produced the material using magnetron sputtering deposition, a process that applies a thin film to a surface.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

But Jerry wants in his sputtering way to make amends to his brother for the cruel things he did to him when they were younger.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 3, 2026

At the top of the highest spire, the last few flickers of a safety sparkler were sputtering out.

From "Uglies" by Scott Westerfeld

Related Words

• falter
• stammer
• stutter