From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsputtersput‧ter /ˈspʌtə $ -ər/ verb 1 [intransitive]SOUND if something such as an engine or a fire sputters, it makes short soft uneven noises like very small explosions SYN splutter Suddenly the engine sputtered and stopped.2 [intransitive, transitive]SPEAK A LANGUAGE to talk quickly in short confused phrases, especially because you are angry or shocked SYN splutter ‘What do you mean?’ sputtered Annabelle. —sputter noun [countable, uncountable]→ See Verb table
Examples from the Corpus
sputter• The country's transition to democracy continues to sputter along.• Since then, political parties have proliferated, but the transition to full democracy has sputtered along.• The engine sputtered and died.• The drummer passed out, the bassoonist dropped his bassoon, the trombonist sputtered and went sour.• Patients experience a sputtering downhill course and an inevitable loss of mobility.• Chaos had been averted, though strikes in the public services sputtered on.• Solano sputtered that there must be some mistake.• The engine sputtered to life with a corrupting puff of diesel exhaust.• He sputtered up and down the aisle, saying the man should be behind bars.• In both instances the sputtering war in the world outside becomes something more personal within the artificial community of these isolated characters.Origin sputter (1500-1600) Dutch sputteren 