MEANING
1. To eject particles from a surface through bombardment, often by energetic ions.
2. To operate or emit sound in uneven, interrupted bursts.
3. To speak in interrupted bursts, often through emotion or surprise.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- sputter a coating
- sputter deposition
On the page
The ions sputtered atoms from the target.
They sputtered a metallic coating onto the glass.
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- sputter
- Past tense
- sputtered
- Past participle
- sputtered
- Present participle
- sputtering
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- sputter
- Present continuous
- am/is/are sputtering
- Present perfect
- have/has sputtered
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been sputtering
- Past
- sputtered
- Past continuous
- was/were sputtering
- Past perfect
- had sputtered
- Past perfect continuous
- had been sputtering
- Future
- will sputter
- Future continuous
- will be sputtering
- Future perfect
- will have sputtered
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been sputtering
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: sci-fi. Forms: sputter; sputters; sputtered; sputtered; sputtering Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: sputters.
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