as in drooled
to speak rapidly, inarticulately, and usually unintelligibly
she was so shocked that, for a moment, all she could do was sputter
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in shouted
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Recent Examples of sputtered
Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
As subduction zones burned through the carbon-rich crust at the edges of the Pangaea supercontinent, any rock weathering that might have buried carbon dioxide now sputtered in the vast interior.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
With their rush getting home before Flacco could find open receivers and not much help from the run game, the Browns sputtered.
—Zac Jackson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Grapevine linebackers Tatum Evans and Luke Ghormley helped keep the Mustangs in the game, but the offense sputtered.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
But the Bears’ offense, expected to be upgraded with Johnson’s play-calling in place given his success with the Detroit Lions, sputtered after that.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The offense sputtered early, but backup quarterback Tayven Jackson stepped in and delivered 17 of 24 passes for 282 yards and two late touchdowns, including the game‑winner.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
But efforts in Lansing to heed Whitmer's demand sputtered before the start of another school year.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Miami’s offense sputtered after that until the decisive final drive.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
Adjective
While Tesla has thousands of employees in California and Texas, some new electric vehicle plants have sputtered.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 16 Sep. 2025
As subduction zones burned through the carbon-rich crust at the edges of the Pangaea supercontinent, any rock weathering that might have buried carbon dioxide now sputtered in the vast interior.
—Peter Brannen, Quanta Magazine, 15 Sep. 2025
With their rush getting home before Flacco could find open receivers and not much help from the run game, the Browns sputtered.
—Zac Jackson, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025
Grapevine linebackers Tatum Evans and Luke Ghormley helped keep the Mustangs in the game, but the offense sputtered.
—Darren Lauber, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 13 Sep. 2025
But the Bears’ offense, expected to be upgraded with Johnson’s play-calling in place given his success with the Detroit Lions, sputtered after that.
—Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2025
The offense sputtered early, but backup quarterback Tayven Jackson stepped in and delivered 17 of 24 passes for 282 yards and two late touchdowns, including the game‑winner.
—Ben Verbrugge, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Sep. 2025
But efforts in Lansing to heed Whitmer's demand sputtered before the start of another school year.
—Clara Hendrickson, Freep.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Miami’s offense sputtered after that until the decisive final drive.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 1 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sputtered
Verb
-
Tessa Thompson chatted with fellow actress Emma Roberts, who sat next to singer Ciara and posed with actress Jessica Alba.—
Anika Reed,
USA Today,
18 Sep. 2025
-
Princess Kate and Melania chatted while Camilla watched on and looked around.—
Janine Henni,
PEOPLE,
17 Sep. 2025
Verb
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But the team stuttered against the Philadelphia Eagles and then against the Atlanta Falcons in weeks 3 and 4.—
Chelsea Brasted,
Axios,
4 Oct. 2024
Verb
-
Work is implied but never shouted.—
Melissa Fleur Afshar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Sep. 2025
-
Herzl shouted him down and insisted on political plurality.—
Arash Azizi,
The Atlantic,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
His wraparound, tight-quarters assist on a Keshad Johnson dunk in the second half breathed fire into the lungs of the home crowd.—
Bryce Miller Columnist,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Nov. 2021
Verb
-
Although full disclosure, those two words were muttered in the press box Sunday after Nix had thrown two unsightly picks through the first three quarters of the Broncos’ win over Tennessee.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
7 Sep. 2025
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There are few actors whose disembodied voices could carry long stretches of cinema, but Dafoe manages it, turning monologues about marionette mechanics or muttered complaints about hotel politics into something weirdly magnetic.—
Leila Latif,
IndieWire,
31 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
By the end of the penultimate episode, Kupuohi and Ka’ahumanu are able to convince Kamehameha to use Ka’iana’s red-mouthed weapons in order to have a fighting chance against Keōua’s army.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
16 Sep. 2025
-
Nearly 25 years later, North is just as bad as Ebert wrote, an astoundingly wrongheaded concept executed in the most mealy-mouthed, limp way possible.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The video teases the emotional reunion between Noah and Nick after their devastating breakup, questioning whether the couple can survive their final race together after their fast-burning love affair reached a breaking point and screeched to a sudden halt.—
Veronica Villafañe,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
-
Langur monkeys screeched from the canopy above.—
Kate McMahon,
AFAR Media,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Vic mumbled, coughing sleep from his throat.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Sputtered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sputtered. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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