Meanings
verbsputter out (third-person singular simple present sputters out, present participle sputtering out, simple past and past participle sputtered out)
present singular third person sputters out · participle present sputtering out · participle past sputtered out · past sputtered out
- intransitiveusuallymotorTo emit a series of irregular, erratic popping or spitting sounds before shutting off.
Synonyms: stall out
- informalintransitiveTo die.
You'd better give me something so I don't die / Novocaine for the soul / Before I sputter out.
1996, Mark Goldenberg, Mark Oliver Everett, “Novocaine for the Soul”, in Beautiful Freak, performed by Eels
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo emit a series of irregular, erratic popping or spitting sounds before shutting off.
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Cite this entry
APA
sputter out. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sputter%20out
MLA
“sputter out.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sputter%20out. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “sputter out,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/sputter%20out.
Source: sputter out on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.