1
a
: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person
was acting like a jerk
b
: an unlikable person
especially
: one who is cruel, rude, or small-minded
a selfish jerk
2
: a single quick motion of short duration
a sudden jerk
gave the handle a jerk
3
a
: jolting, bouncing, or thrusting motions
b
: a tendency to produce spasmodic motions
4
a
: an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action
b
jerks plural
: involuntary twitchings due to nervous excitement
5
: the pushing of a weight from shoulder height to a position overhead : the second phase of the clean and jerk in weight lifting
jerked; jerking; jerks
1
: to give a quick suddenly arrested push, pull, or twist to
jerk a rope
2
: to propel or move with or as if with a quick suddenly arrested motion
jerked the door open
3
: to mix and serve (drinks, such as sodas) behind a soda fountain
1
: to make a sudden spasmodic motion
Her hand jerked up suddenly.
2
: to move in short abrupt motions or with frequent jolts
jerker
noun
jerked; jerking; jerks
: to preserve (meat) in long sun-dried slices
Synonyms
Noun
- bastard
- beast
- bleeder [British]
- blighter [chiefly British]
- boor
- bounder
- bugger
- buzzard
- cad
- chuff
- churl
- clown
- creep
- cretin
- crud [slang]
- crumb [slang]
- cur
- dirtbag [slang]
- dog
- fink
- heel
- hound
- joker
- louse
- lout
- pill
- rat
- rat fink
- reptile
- rotter
- schmuck [slang]
- scum
- scumbag [slang]
- scuzzball [slang]
- skunk
- sleaze
- sleazebag [slang]
- sleazeball [slang]
- slime
- slimeball [slang]
- slob
- snake
- so-and-so
- sod [chiefly British]
- stinkard
- stinker
- swine
- toad
- varmint
- vermin
Verb (1)
Examples of jerk in a Sentence
Noun
That jerk can't do anything right.
Most of the kids are nice, but some are jerks.
The dead branch came loose after a few jerks.
He felt the jerk of the line as a fish took the bait.
The car started with a jerk.
Verb (1)
I jerked to one side to avoid getting hit
jerked the leash to get the dog's attention
you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident
the car jerked with every shift of the gear
Recent Examples on the Web
Andy Swift, TVLine, 13 June 2024
Bed bugs are resilient little jerks who play the world's worst game of hide-and-seek.
—John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024
Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 14 June 2024
The former president appeared to nod off before the trial's lunch break, closing his eyes briefly and jerking awake multiple times, according to several reports.
– Marina Pitofsky
Will Trump testify in his hush money case?
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jerk 
Noun
The handsome jerk returns at the end of the hour, revealing himself to be the director of a movie about the Millwood Massacre.
—Andy Swift, TVLine, 13 June 2024
Bed bugs are resilient little jerks who play the world's worst game of hide-and-seek.
—John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 12 June 2024
Verb
Andy Pages beat out an infield single and the Dodgers’ offense jerked back to life when Ragans busted Miguel Rojas inside with a 3-and-1 fastball.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 14 June 2024
The former president appeared to nod off before the trial's lunch break, closing his eyes briefly and jerking awake multiple times, according to several reports.
– Marina Pitofsky
Will Trump testify in his hush money case?
—David Jackson, USA TODAY, 15 Apr. 2024
See all Example Sentences for jerk
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jerk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near jerk
Cite this Entry
“Jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jerk. Accessed 7 Jul. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
jerk
2 of 3 verb1
: to give a short quick push, pull, or twist to
2
: to move in jerks or with a jerk
jerk
3 of 3 verb
: to preserve (meat) in long strips dried in the sun
Etymology
Verb
probably an altered form of earlier yerk "to beat or thrash"
Verb
from 1jerky
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share