sputtering

[spuht-er-ing]

noun

1. Engineering, Electronics.,  a process that uses ions of an inert gas to dislodge atoms from the surface of a crystalline material, the atoms then being electrically deposited to form an extremely thin coating on a glass, metal, plastic, or other surface.

Other Word Forms

• unsputtering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sputtering¹

First recorded in 1900–05; sputter + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Houston’s defense is solid, but the offense is sputtering and the line continues to leak under pressure.

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The candle on the night table was sputtering, the wick nearly gone.

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She came to in seconds, sputtering and frantically wiping her mouth to get rid of the horrendous taste.

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Chipotle Mexican Grill last week reported sputtering sales after lower-income and younger consumers cut their burrito spending.

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The country is awash in weapons and its economy is sputtering.

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