sputter

Derek Scissors, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said the move could also be Beijing issuing a warning to investors looking to put their capital elsewhere as the country’s economy continues to sputter.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

He started Sunday with a sputter, including a double bogey on the par-three fourth and a bogey shortly after.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

To challenge that, he made Clark Kent a nerd, hunching his shoulders, making him sputter with nervousness.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 7, 2026

The Falcons’ offense continues to sputter with turnovers and missed chances, while the Colts’ ground game and physicality give them an edge in Berlin.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025

He started the engine and shifted smoothly into reverse, rolled out of the driveway, shifted into first, then pulled forward without a sputter.

From "Eleanor & Park" by Rainbow Rowell

Thankfully, there are a few moments when the album sputters into life.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

When Jay goes on to paraphrase “Baldwin” on the subject of white racism, Leigh is befuddled: “Alec Baldwin’s black?” he sputters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026

Small-cap companies tend to have weaker balance sheets, higher debt loads and can become more vulnerable to defaults than major corporations if the economy sputters.

From MarketWatch ● Jan. 22, 2026

A street market in a Buenos Aires working-class neighborhood bustles with desperate Argentines who have taken to hawking their belongings to make ends meet as the economy sputters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2025

The torch sputters behind her, casting her face into deep shadow.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir

Their offense has sputtered and wheezed, even as their defense has done its part to keep them in games.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026

Quarterback Sam Darnold with a hip injury after the opening drive, and the offense sputtered in his absence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The investigation into Shakur's murder sputtered for decades because of a lack of evidence, but the case was revived when Davis's memoirs were published in 2019.

From Barron's ● Aug. 31, 2026

They took their proverbial foot off the gas, ran out of gas, sputtered to the finish line, got outscored 23-7 in the fourth quarter and looked like anything but a team with serious playoff plans.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

Clare sputtered, “B-but… what if… how can…” He growled, slapping his paws on the floor.

From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman

Maybe this is what the Chargers are — lurching, sputtering and unable to consistently move the football, despite an offensive overhaul packed with lofty expectations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 20, 2026

In turn, the technorati are sputtering, trying to regroup for their counteroffensive while laying blame for why the dreams of AI aren’t being embraced.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 29, 2026

Friday’s figures provided an initial look at the world’s second-largest economy heading into the third quarter, following official data that showed growth sputtering in the April-June period amid a pullback in government and private spending.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026

Instead, magnetron sputtering deposition creates the material from alloy vapor.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 31, 2026

His black and gold feathers gleamed in the sputtering light.

From "Julie of the Wolves" by Jean Craighead George