JERK Synonyms: 199 Similar and Opposite Words

jerk 1 of 2

noun

ˈjərk

Definition of jerk

as in bastard

a person whose behavior is offensive to others his constant rudeness and insensitivity made everyone think he was a real jerk

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in tug

the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force guided the rowboat with a jerk of the rope

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

jerk

2 of 2

verb

as in to yank

to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion I jerked to one side to avoid getting hit jerked the leash to get the dog's attention

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as in to twitch

to make jerky or restless movements you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in to shake

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the car jerked with every shift of the gear

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of jerk

Noun

Their chicken cheesesteak comes with a choice of honey garlic chicken, lemon pepper chicken or jerk chicken. — Justin Brown, AJC.com, 26 July 2026 At that point, if another passenger acts like a jerk, that’s on them, notes Iwanyk. — Maressa Brown, Parents, 24 July 2026

Verb

Watching their relationship devolve (never more so than when their sperm donor, a rakish, motorcycle-driving restaurant owner played by Mark Ruffalo, enters the scene) is most definitely a tear-jerking experience, as is the film’s final scene. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026 Some were petty — like Reese committing a foul against Clark, then jerking her head back, impersonating Clark as a flopper. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for jerk

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerk

Noun

Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert, had a number of dogs throughout their life.

— Audrey Schmidt, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026
Things get increasingly bleak, as the family dog’s heart medicine runs out and Jason has to put him out of his misery, and then — in doomsday prepper mode — carves up the body and puts it in the freezer just in case food gets dire.

— William Earl, Variety, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of dog

Noun

True to the messy nature of a break-up, the 14-song track list mirrors all of the tug and pull phases of heartbreak.

— Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 7 Aug. 2026
This one includes an 83-foot hose (78 feet of retractable hose and a 5-foot lead) that automatically rewinds with a simple tug.

— Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of tug

Verb

The officer is also seen putting a woman in a patrol car — the same woman who is shown on the ground having her hair yanked by an officer.

— Marvin Hurst, CBS News, 7 Aug. 2026
This bestselling line of classic creepy characters is yanked straight from your best memories of Halloween as a child.

— Kelsey Legg, ABC News, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of yank

Verb

Tarrant County District Attorney In mid-November 1996, Narez shook her daughter, Kasandra White, and threw the child into a wall, causing her head to strike a door, according to the 1999 Tarrant County grand jury indictment.

— S.E. Jenkins, CBS News, 11 Aug. 2026
On Monday, in the early morning, cheerleaders flanked the entrance to the courtyard, cheering and shaking their pom-poms as their classmates filed in, showing varying degrees of enthusiasm.

— Jemma Stephenson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of shake

Noun

An Illinois teen has been charged with first-degree murder after allegedly committing a deadly stabbing attack while dressed in a clown outfit.

— Nadine El-Bawab, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
Tyquan Thornton Tyquan Thornton is not only known for being a speedster, with one of the fastest combine times in history, but a class clown as well.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 5 Aug. 2026

Definition of clown

Noun

Io is repeatedly squeezed and stretched by Jupiter and the gravitational pulls of neighboring moons Europa and Ganymede.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026
And then the whole ecosystem around them, there's just a massive pull sucking sound for anything that can help build those things out more cost-effectively, more efficiently.

— Alan Ohnsman, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of pull

Verb

Maresca, though, does not appear to have much taste for the Premier League’s lurch towards balls into the box.

— Sam Lee, New York Times, 11 Aug. 2026
The United States, which had been lurching toward entry in the Second World War, was suddenly and inescapably thrust into global conflict.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026