jerk

noun

\ ˈjərk

Definition of jerk

(Entry 1 of 3)

1a : 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

3a : jolting, bouncing, or thrusting motions

b : a tendency to produce spasmodic motions

4a : 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

verb (1)

jerked; jerking; jerks

Definition of jerk (Entry 2 of 3)

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

jerk

verb (2)

jerked; jerking; jerks

Definition of jerk (Entry 3 of 3)

transitive verb

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

Other Words from jerk Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about jerk

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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

For many young converts, the path to conservatism begins at a knee-jerk reaction to the contemporary Left: a feeling that its assertions must be wrong, with little understanding of exactly why. — Nate Hochman, National Review, "The Intellectual Dark Web’s Quiet Revolution," 5 July 2019 But that’s a knee-jerk face value reaction that doesn’t give this trade merit. — oregonlive.com, "Canzano: Why I like the Trail Blazers’ trade for Kent Bazemore," 25 June 2019 The knee-jerk reaction of Alyssa Milano and others calling for a boycott doesn’t help. — Jeffrey Fleishman, latimes.com, "Georgia's abortion ban forces political reckoning among TV and film workers," 23 June 2019 There’s sort of the knee-jerk reaction after a crisis to institute standards that are beyond what is needed, and then over time the pendulum settles in the middle. — NBC News, "Banks are acing their 'stress tests' — but that's not necessarily a good thing," 21 June 2019 Because usually all those knee-jerk reactions to any news events are wrong. — Bill Goodykoontz, azcentral, "What is the meaning of 'redneck'? This unconventional film critic knows the true definition," 21 June 2019 Here’s my theory on the angst, and the reasons go beyond the knee-jerk reactions that permeate around social media. — Mark Medina, The Mercury News, "Warriors mailbag: Did the Warriors make the right draft picks?," 21 June 2019 Some cheered for Rickie Fowler, who is widely acknowledged to be the American contingent’s leading young mensch, or for Phil Mickelson, whom many writers privately described as its reigning jerk. — Nick Paumgarten, The New Yorker, "Inside the Cultish Dreamworld of Augusta National," 14 June 2019 Expecting us to wait around for another cats-are-jerks moment isn’t the best way to engage with an audience, no matter how valid that point may be. — The Washington Post, The Mercury News, "Review: More like the ‘Mildly Entertaining Life of Pets 2’," 6 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

At the end of Toy Story 3, the departure of Andy was a tear-jerking goodbye, but the arrival of Bonnie suggested the fun could last forever. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "A Plaything Made Out of Trash Is the Real Star of Toy Story 4," 13 June 2019 The result might be a plane that appears to suddenly jerk in midair, rise like a dragon, slow to a relative crawl, or perform some other impossible-looking aerial maneuver. — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "China's New Upgrade Makes Its Fighter Jets Wildly Maneuverable," 7 Nov. 2018 Each time the strap connected with flesh, the army cot the boys clung to would jerk and heave. — Carol Marbin Miller, miamiherald, "A victim of vile abuse at Florida reform school, he spent his life fighting for justice," 10 July 2018 An employee at the Chicago office jerks his arm unexpectedly. — Nara Schoenberg, chicagotribune.com, "5 years and over 300 applications: For those with autism, landing a tech job ‘like winning the lottery’," 11 June 2019 Should kids who love to daydream be jerked back to earth? — Laura Turner, Glamour, "The Big Problem With the New Screen Time Guidelines for Kids," 26 Apr. 2019 The tear-jerking trailer, somber music, and family feel already has people assuming this show is This Is Us 2.0. — Amanda Garrity, Good Housekeeping, "The Cast of 'The Village' Will Apparently Make You Cry Even Harder Than 'This Is Us'," 19 Mar. 2019 Use steady, even pressure to pull up without twisting or jerking. — Taylor Mead, House Beautiful, "Ticks Are Posing Higher Risks for More People and Pets, According to Experts," 10 Apr. 2019 In addition to deploying the airbags, a vehicle will also trigger seatbelt pretensioners that jerk the seatbelts a couple inches tighter, pulling passengers into their seats. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "Seat belt fires spark recall of two million Ford F-150 trucks," 6 Sep. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'jerk.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.