jerky

1 of 2

adjective

ˈjər-kē

jerkier; jerkiest

Synonyms of jerky next

: moving along with or marked by fits and starts

: characterized by abrupt transitions

: inane, foolish

jerkily

ˈjər-kə-lē

adverb

jerkiness

ˈjər-kē-nəs

noun

jerky

2 of 2

Example Sentences

Adjective The movie was jerky and hard to watch. made jerky progress walking with the new crutches

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

What seemed cold and remote and jerky about them back in the day—now, that’s just the way people talk. —

Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 14 May 2023 Writer-director Véronique Jadin and co-writer Nina Vanspranghe go broad and hard with the comedy, skewering the many varieties of jerky guys who can ruin a workday. —

Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2023 Taiping, a former herdsman, now runs his own jerky factory and has more than one million followers. —

Vivian Wang, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2023 Video shows motorists spinning their vehicles in fast, jerky figure eights, sending up clouds of smoke while bystanders toss fireworks. —

Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Apr. 2023 The cover was pure Jim Joe, showcasing not just his work and his style, but also spotlighting his primary mode of communication: enigmatic, faux-deep phrases clipped of context, done up in his jerky, angular handstyle. —

Hazlitt, 6 July 2022 Breakfast was jerky, hardtack and coffee. —

Larry Rohter, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2023 This can sometimes result in a jerky motion. —

Olivia Lipski, Good Housekeeping, 15 June 2022 Avatars walk with jerky movements. —

Alison Mccauley, Forbes, 27 Oct. 2021

Noun

The space, tucked into the Shoppes at Ryan Park, is too small and too narrow to accommodate the spread of sticky rice cakes, mangosteens, che, Vietnamese jerky, jelly flower cups and other items that used to grace practically every flat surface at Song Que. —

Tim Carman, Washington Post, 12 Dec. 2022 A lot of Chinese jerky, both permitted and smuggled, comes through the port. —

Frank Shyongcolumnist, Los Angeles Times, 28 Mar. 2022 Patrick Labyorteaux as Ram Sweeney The classic jerky jock may have met an unfortunate end in the movie, but Patrick Labyorteaux would go on to reprise his earlier role as Andy Garvey from Little House on the Prairie on The Last Frontier in 1996. —

Sophie Dodd, Peoplemag, 29 Mar. 2023 Think beef jerky and tasty nuts. —

Mariah Thomas, Good Housekeeping, 18 July 2022 Make any jerky yet? —

Jack Hennessy, Outdoor Life, 4 Jan. 2021 This is not the time to take a sip of your latte or snack on your beef jerky. —

Joy Pieper, Discover Magazine, 30 July 2020 Often the sheep are slaughtered, salted and dried for laandi, a kind of jerky that sustains Afghans through the cold. —

Hannah Beech, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2023 Or, substitute fruits, vegetables, or jerky for a bag of chips in the afternoon. —

Melissa Matthews, Men's Health, 28 Feb. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jerky.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.