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
plural jerk
: a sweet and spicy dish of Jamaican origin that typically consists of pieces of meat, seafood, or vegetables that are marinated (as with green onion, thyme, allspice, chili pepper, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon) and barbecued
Jerk is a savory, flavorful result of the combination of African and native cultures on the island. … All Jamaicans have their own variations on jerk.—
Helen Willinsky
Helen Willinsky[The Maroons] … hunted wild pigs and deer for food. A kill ensured food, and preservation of the meat guaranteed sustenance during lean hunting or foraging times. Jerk as we know it today could have evolved from this early method of preserving meat using the island's spices.—Melissa Thompson
Melissa ThompsonSince dawn, Taylor Dudley of Boston Beach, Jamaica, has been at work turning a pig and plenty of hot peppers into jerk, the island's devilishly hot answer to barbecue.—Kathleen Beckett-Young
—often used before another nounKathleen Beckett-YoungDone right, jerk chicken is one of the great barbecue traditions of the world …—Julia Moskin
Julia MoskinThe neck bones are marinated overnight in jerk spices, seared on the charcoal grill for color and flavor and then slow cooked in the oven.—Shelia Johnson
Shelia JohnsonTurning over layers of chicken wings to be doused in her mother's secret jerk sauce, she said cooking was an important tradition in her family.—Lori Teresa Yearwood
Lori Teresa Yearwood[Rukmini] Iyer's jerk cauliflower wings are a good encapsulation of her approach, which layers texture and flavor …—Rebecca Flint Marx
Rebecca Flint Marx
jerked; jerking; jerks
1
: to prepare or marinate (meat, seafood, or vegetables) in the style of Jamaican jerk (see jerk entry 3)
Pork has been jerked in Jamaica at least since the mid-seventeenth century. Methods of pit cooking were brought to the island by African slaves, and these methods were probably the beginnings of jerk cooking techniques—though the native West Indians also cooked food on green wood lattices over open fire.—Helen Willinsky
Helen WillinskyRight next to a Jamaican vendor jerking chicken and roasting fish on a barrel, a thick white smoke rose into the damp air …—Morlette Cowan
Morlette Cowan2
: to preserve (meat) in long dried slices
[Meat cutter] Olen Carpenito said he hopes to expand the business soon, perhaps offering to jerk meat for customers or opening a retail store.—Vicki McClure
Vicki McClure… deer hunters are often people of firm opinion, and many of them have their own ways of jerking venison.—A. D. Livingston
A. D. LivingstonExamples of jerk in a Sentence
Noun (1)
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
Esther Zuckerman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Someone actually just said to me that all the men in the book are jerks.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025
Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
This apparently spooked an SUV driver in the next lane, who jerked the wheel to the left and ran into the opposite curb.
—ArsTechnica, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jerk
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
But this Ron Howard was an alternate universe version of Ron Howard, who instead of being notoriously nice, is sort of a jerk.
—Esther Zuckerman, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2025
Someone actually just said to me that all the men in the book are jerks.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 7 Mar. 2025
Verb
As soon as Tatiana Pino turned her dark blue Land Rover Defender into her long asphalt driveway, the flatbed truck jerked into reverse and slammed into the passenger side of her SUV, according to footage of the Aug. 30, 2023, hit-and-run obtained by the Herald.
—Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2025
This apparently spooked an SUV driver in the next lane, who jerked the wheel to the left and ran into the opposite curb.
—ArsTechnica, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for jerk
Cite this Entry
“Jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jerk. Accessed 6 May. 2025.
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
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