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.

Near the end of the first, Betts came back to the bench coughing and sputtering, seemingly unable to clear her throat.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 5, 2026

While going rather easy on King George, Ms. Worsley is dismayed by the strategy of her antecedents, whose tactics often seemed calculated to fan the sputtering flames of rebellion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 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

Martin must have turned the faucet up all the way, because I could hear the water sputtering as I stepped around some of the broken glass from the store’s big windows.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken