How to Use splutter in a Sentence

splutter

verb
  • She coughed and spluttered as she climbed out of the icy water.
  • When I demanded an explanation, he just stood there spluttering.
  • Inconsolable, Atari sets off, at the controls of a spluttering airplane, in search of Spots.
    — John Cassidy, The New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2018
  • And as the press were summoned out, Harry put aside his airs and graces and leant in to whisper Trudeau a joke — which made him loudly splutter with laughter.
    — Simon Perry, PEOPLE.com, 23 Sep. 2017
  • However, the Swans have spluttered in recent weeks and know that conceding the first goal could prove to be damaging against a more resilient Blues outfit of late.
    — SI.com, 13 Apr. 2018
  • When the bodies were being carried out, two of the girls turned out to still be alive, spluttering and coughing before being stabbed into silence.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, Town & Country, 5 Oct. 2016
  • When the bodies were being carried out, two of the girls turned out to still be alive, spluttering and coughing before being stabbed into silence.
    — Simon Sebag Montefiore, Town & Country, 5 Oct. 2016
  • The machine, which must have been cobbled together in the underground, chuffed and spluttered smokily.
    — WIRED, 11 Dec. 2017
  • Aside from the risk of stumbling unawares into street battles and clouds of police tear gas — as some tourists have to their coughing, spluttering dismay — Hong Kong remains a pleasant city.
    — Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2019
  • Milan have spluttered so far this season despite Montella being handed a transfer warchest in the summer - an outlay that led to 11 new arrivals heading through the door at San Siro.
    — SI.com, 31 Oct. 2017
  • If the focus fell on the spluttering attack, what about the defence?
    — James Horncastle, New York Times, 24 June 2026
  • Pam splutters, half laughing, half indignant.
    — Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
  • Then all at once Finley was up and pushing against my chest, spluttering between us what looked like a gallon of sea bilge.
    — Charna Flam, People.com, 25 Aug. 2025
  • Since no one knew who was watching what and when, watercooler chat and even many recap blogs spluttered out.
    — Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'splutter.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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