Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- intransitive verb To make repeated or sporadic spitting sounds.
- intransitive verb To speak hastily and incoherently, as when confused or angry.
- intransitive verb To utter or express hastily and incoherently.
- noun A spluttering noise.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Bustle; stir; commotion.
- To sputter.
- To talk hastily and confusedly.
- To utter confusedly or indistinctly, as through haste, excitement, embarrassment, or the like: often with out or forth: as, to
splutter out an apology.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun colloq. A confused noise, as of hasty speaking.
- intransitive verb colloq. To speak hastily and confusedly; to sputter.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- verb to
spray droplets whilespeaking - verb to
speak hurriedly andconfusedly - verb to perform to a substandard level
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- verb utter with a spitting sound, as if in a rage
- verb spit up in an explosive manner
- noun the noise of something spattering or sputtering explosively
- noun an utterance (of words) with spitting sounds (as in rage)
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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"This isn't reality TV!" they splutter, settling in for 60 solid minutes watching a woman fake-tanned the shade of a third-degree burn glueing diamante craft beads on to her vagina.
Grace Dent's TV OD Grace Dent 2010
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An unexpected beat on a snare drum made a French horn splutter out a belching sound, and in the back of the band something big emitted a snort, one that made Lisa think of a blue whale that had just surfaced after a week underwater.
Bubble in the Bathtub Jo Nesbo 2011
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If they dont splutter over their retraction at this point, then they would more likely be at home being a patient of a mental ward rather than managing one. on July 7, 2009 at 11: 08 am grim rupert
Criminals Insist On Being Naughty SHOCK! « POLICE INSPECTOR BLOG Inspector Gadget 2009
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The recording itself is thrilling, if warts-and-all, with Pappano singing along, while the audience cough and splutter between movements.
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An unexpected beat on a snare drum made a French horn splutter out a belching sound, and in the back of the band something big emitted a snort, one that made Lisa think of a blue whale that had just surfaced after a week underwater.
Bubble in the Bathtub Jo Nesbo 2011
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A minute later the splutter of an exhaust told them the silencer had been taken off.
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Jeffrey sez, We're getting more and more excellent panoramic photographers uploading their spherical panoramas to our site - but this one made me splutter with delight.
Boing Boing 2009
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Draught horses are led around the smaller ring, and nearby dozens of stationary engines chuff, splutter and bounce on individual pitches.
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Jeffrey sez, We're getting more and more excellent panoramic photographers uploading their spherical panoramas to our site - but this one made me splutter with delight.
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It is of a monster enterprise monstering itself, of a family that can't get a grip – on itself or dad; of a dynasty falling apart as shareholders splutter and investors turned chicken cross the road.
News Corp saga is gripping: let's soak up the family drama 2011
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