Adjacent Words

Sputter definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

SPUTTER, v.i. [L., to spit. It belongs to the root of spout and spit; of the latter it seems to be a diminutive.]
1. To spit, or to emit saliva from the mouth in small or scattered portions, as in rapid speaking.
2. To throw out moisture in small detached parts; as green wood sputtering in the flame.
3. To fly off in small particles with some crackling or noise.
When sparkling lamps their sputtering lights advance.
4. To utter words hastily and indistinctly; literally, to spout small; to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva.
They could neither of them speak their rage, and so they fell a sputtering at one another, like two roasting apples.
SPUTTER, v.t. To throw out with haste and noise; to utter with indistinctness.
In the midst of caresses--to sputter out the basest accusations.
SPUTTER, n. Moist matter thrown out in small particles.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the noise of something spattering or sputtering explosively; "he heard a spatter of gunfire" [syn: spatter, spattering, splatter, splattering, sputter, splutter, sputtering]
2: an utterance (of words) with spitting sounds (as in rage) [syn: sputter, splutter] v
1: make an explosive sound; "sputtering engines"
2: cause to undergo a process in which atoms are removed; "The solar wind protons must sputter away the surface atoms of the dust"
3: climb awkwardly, as if by scrambling [syn: clamber, scramble, shin, shinny, skin, struggle, sputter]
4: utter with a spitting sound, as if in a rage [syn: sputter, splutter]
5: spit up in an explosive manner [syn: splutter, sputter, spit out]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: akin to Dutch sputteren to sputter Date: 1598 transitive verb 1. to spit or squirt from the mouth with explosive sounds 2. to utter hastily or explosively in confusion or excitement <“that's ridiculous!” she sputtered> 3. to dislodge (atoms) from the surface of a material by collision with high energy particles; also to deposit (a metallic film) by such a process intransitive verb 1. to spit or squirt particles of food or saliva noisily from the mouth 2. to speak explosively or confusedly in anger or excitement 3. to make explosive popping sounds • sputterer noun II. noun Date: 1673 1. confused and excited speech or discussion 2. the act or sound of sputtering

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. emit spitting sounds, esp. when being heated. 2 intr. (often foll. by at) speak in a hurried or vehement fashion. 3 tr. emit with a spitting sound. 4 tr. speak or utter (words, threats, a language, etc.) rapidly or incoherently. 5 tr. Physics deposit (metal) by using fast ions etc. to eject particles of it from a target. --n. a sputtering sound, esp. sputtering speech. Derivatives: sputterer n. Etymology: Du. sputteren (imit.)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sputter Sput"ter, v. t. To spit out hastily by quick, successive efforts, with a spluttering sound; to utter hastily and confusedly, without control over the organs of speech. In the midst of caresses, and without the last pretend incitement, to sputter out the basest accusations. --Swift.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sputter Sput"ter, n. Moist matter thrown out in small detached particles; also, confused and hasty speech.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Sputter Sput"ter, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Sputtered; p. pr. & vb. n. Sputtering.] [From the root of spout or spit to eject from the mputh. Cf. Splutter.] 1. To spit, or to emit saliva from the mouth in small, scattered portions, as in rapid speaking. 2. To utter words hastily and indistinctly; to speak so rapidly as to emit saliva. They could neither of them speak their rage, and so fell a sputtering at one another, like two roasting apples. --Congreve. 3. To throw out anything, as little jets of steam, with a noise like that made by one sputtering. Like the green wood . . . sputtering in the flame. --Dryden.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(sputters, sputtering, sputtered) If something such as an engine or a flame sputters, it works or burns in an uneven way and makes a series of soft popping sounds. The truck sputtered and stopped... The flame sputters out. = splutter VERB: V, V prep/adv

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. n. 1. Spit, spawl. 2. Splutter, stammer.

Moby Thesaurus

assibilate, assibilation, barrage, beat, beat a ruffle, beat a tattoo, beating, bicker, blubber, bluff, bluster, bluster and bluff, blustering, boastfulness, bounce, brag, bravado, bully, bullying, bustle, buzz, crackle, dance, drone, drum, drum music, drumbeat, drumfire, drumming, effervesce, effervescence, effervescing, ejaculate, eject, fanfaronade, fizz, fizzle, fizzling, flap, flick, flicker, flip, flit, flitter, flop, flurry, fluster, flutter, frication, frictional rustling, fuss, gabble, gasconade, gibber, go pitapat, gutter, heckle, hector, hectoring, hiss, hissing, hush, hushing, intimidate, intimidation, jabber, lisp, maunder, mouth, mumble, murmur, mutter, out-herod Herod, palpitate, palpitation, paradiddle, patter, pitapat, pitter-patter, pop, pound, pounding, pulsate, pulsation, pulse, quiver, rage, rant, rat-a-tat, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat, rataplan, rattattoo, rave, rhonchus, rip out, rodomontade, roister, roll, rollick, rub-a-dub, ruff, ruffle, shake, shush, shushing, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, side, siffle, sigmatism, siss, sissing, sizz, sizzle, sizzling, slang, slat, sneeze, sneezing, sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuffle, sob, sound a tattoo, spatter, speak incoherently, spit, splatter, splutter, squash, squelch, squish, staccato, sternutation, susurrate, swagger, swashbuckle, swashbucklery, swish, tat-tat, tattoo, throb, throbbing, throw out, thrum, thump, thumping, tom-tom, vapor, wave, waver, wheeze, whish, whisper, whistle, whistling, white noise, whiz, whoosh, zip