sputtering

American  

[spuht-er-ing] / ˈspʌt ər ɪŋ /

noun

1. Engineering, Electronics.  a process that uses ions of an inert gas to dislodge atoms from the surface of a crystalline material, the atoms then being electrically deposited to form an extremely thin coating on a glass, metal, plastic, or other surface.

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Other Word Forms

• unsputtering adjective

Etymology

Origin of sputtering

First recorded in 1900–05; sputter + -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Houston’s defense is solid, but the offense is sputtering and the line continues to leak under pressure.

From Los Angeles Times

Chipotle Mexican Grill last week reported sputtering sales after lower-income and younger consumers cut their burrito spending.

From The Wall Street Journal

The country is awash in weapons and its economy is sputtering.

From The Wall Street Journal

With the Golden State sputtering through a housing shortage, tearing down some of our nostalgia to put up new homes could become more common.

From Los Angeles Times

South Africa has been working to negotiate a better deal to avoid massive job losses for a sputtering economy with a 33 percent unemployment rate.

From Barron's