US
: meat that has been cut into long strips and dried
beef jerky
jerkier; jerkiest
1
: marked by quick rough motions or sudden starts and stops
He made jerky movements.
The movie was jerky and hard to watch.
2
informal
: foolish, stupid, or rude
jerky behavior
Cite this Entry
“Jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/jerky. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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