0 past simple and past participle of splutter
1 to speak in a quick and confused way, producing short, unclear noises because of surprise, anger, etc.:
She took too big a gulp of whisky and started to cough and splutter.
The old gentleman was spluttering with indignation.
[ + speech ] "But, er ... when, um, ... how?" he spluttered.
We spluttered our way through it bravely but gleefully.
On the third approach, the starboard engine spluttered and stopped, followed shortly after by the port engine.
Thus, for a while, the issue burned brightly and then it spluttered and died, and the civil servants put away their files with a sigh of relief.
It spluttered and went out.
The bright flame has spluttered and fizzled out.
By implication—indeed, he spluttered it out explicitly—his forecast is that they will be much larger communities than they are today.
I spluttered something about being a professional person, to which he asked what a professional housewife like me was doing being a mayor.
Even so, the writing was on the wall as the economy lost impetus and the boom spluttered to stagnation.
