Meanings
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1
verb
to make a series of soft explosive, spitting, or popping sounds
The old engine sputtered twice before it finally started.
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2
verb
to speak in short, confused bursts, especially from anger or surprise
He sputtered an objection when he saw the unexpected charge.
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3
noun
a series of irregular explosive or spitting sounds
The candle went out with a faint sputter.
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4
verb
in physics, to eject atoms from a solid surface by bombarding it with energetic particles
The ion beam can sputter metal atoms onto the glass substrate.
Thesaurus
Etymology
A frequentative formation related to spout, representing repeated bursts of spitting or spraying. It is cognate with Dutch sputteren and related Low German forms.