jerk

1 of 3

noun

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

jerk

2 of 3

verb (1)

jerked; jerking; jerks

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

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

jerk

3 of 3

verb (2)

jerked; jerking; jerks

transitive verb

: to preserve (meat) in long sun-dried slices

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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Your experience and your feelings are her chance to open her mind and be, frankly, less of a jerk. Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 22 Nov. 2023 The weight of the shelf caused the bracket to settle into place with a visible jerk. Barry Markovsky, Discover Magazine, 29 Oct. 2023 But peacocks are not the brightest and can be kind of jerks. Sandra Gutierrez, Popular Science, 25 Oct. 2023 LeBron can post shady stuff on Instagram about Brooks and seem like a normal man subject to the slings and arrows of a jerk by comparison. Corbin Smith, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2023 For the first time in recent memory, New Orleans’s Caribbean restaurant scene is dynamic enough to justify debates over who is serving the most flavorful jerk or callaloo. Brett Anderson, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2023 Creator Jeff Franklin was fired for accusations of being a jerk, and, after 75 episodes, not a single Olsen twin came back to an otherwise complete reunion. Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Oct. 2023 The title refers to the fact that Jackson and Sharp, who are gay, play hyper-macho, heterosexual jerks. Michael O'Sullivan, Washington Post, 18 Oct. 2023 Gluten is an inflammatory jerk that was never meant for human consumption. Alison Myers, The New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2023
Verb
But just as the evening seemed headed toward a greatest-hits showcase, Church jerked the wheel toward his real-life trials in recent years. Nancy Kruh, Peoplemag, 28 Nov. 2023 According to court documents, the car suddenly jerked off the road, crashed into a palm tree and burst into flames. Trisha Thadani, Washington Post, 31 Oct. 2023 Yonatan jerked away from his phone, then looked at the names again. Kevin Sieff, Washington Post, 7 Nov. 2023 Another fighter, wearing a camouflage uniform, bandages the foot of an Israeli boy of toddler age, then puts the boy on his lap while jerking the crying baby back and forth in a stroller. David D. Kirkpatrick, The New Yorker, 30 Oct. 2023 Every night a family member had to remain awake to monitor David, who would jerk into 30-minute frenzies of rapid sit-ups. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 18 Oct. 2023 The brakes squeaked, and the train jerked, making any untethered china and crystal chatter like winter teeth. Adam Erace, Travel + Leisure, 26 Oct. 2023 The same mimetic codes are constantly used: the argumentative jerking of the hands, the singing tone of voice . . . Sam Kriss, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023 The force of my back hitting the wall had given me whiplash, my neck jerking forward and back after the collision. Tove Danovich, The Atlantic, 6 Oct. 2023 See More

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.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb (1)

probably alteration of yerk

Verb (2)

back-formation from jerky entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (1)

1589, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1707, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jerk was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near jerk

Cite this Entry

“Jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jerk. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

jerk

1 of 3 noun
1
: a short quick pull or twist : twitch
2
: an involuntary muscular movement or spasm
3
: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person

jerk

2 of 3 verb
1
: 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

Medical Definition

jerk

noun
: an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action
especially : one induced by an external stimulus see knee jerk
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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