sputtering

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

While flagging inflation risks from the Middle East conflict, the central bank also emphasized that the economy is sputtering and having difficulty absorbing excess slack.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

With the June primary looming, Villaraigosa’s campaign risks sputtering out.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026

Whether it's been age profile, a creaking scrum, a sputtering attack, the unsettled fly-half situation or a British and Irish Lions hangover, most of the discussion has been largely negative.

From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026

Instead, the arcs, lobes, and central dust cloud likely formed through a coordinated series of sputtering outbursts deep within the carbon-rich core of the aging star.

From Science Daily • Feb. 13, 2026

Somewhere in Arizona our ugly brown car starts sputtering.

From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy