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

Johnson said the bill was meant to curtail malicious records requests, which do happen, where a citizen goes after copious amounts of records just to be a jerk and cost the government time and money. — Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026 After Game 4, jerks were throwing things at Victor Wembanyama. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 13 June 2026

Verb

Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled. — Dolores Brown, Outdoor Life, 17 June 2026 Although not all the novel’s major characters make it to the end of this uplifting yet tear-jerking work of historical fiction, Six-Thirty safely perseveres. — Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for jerk

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerk

Noun

Sit, who went by the first name Tony, operated Happy K9 Academy and the dogs were in his care when they were kept in crates in a hot van and died, the district attorney’s office said.

— Phil Helsel, NBC news, 11 July 2026
When an Instagram video with nearly 100 million views likened his appearance to a green onion — its wiry roots standing in as his hair — Haaland responded in the comments with a side-eyeing dog GIF.

— ABC News, ABC News, 11 July 2026

Definition of dog

Noun

Thus, with gravity the ultimate winner of this cosmic tug of war, the star's core collapses, sending violent shockwaves rippling outward into the outer stellar layers, which are ripped away.

— Robert Lea, Space.com, 10 July 2026
Momentus’ spacecraft can also serve as space tugs to ferry smaller satellites or experiments from one orbit to another.

— Stephen Clark, ArsTechnica, 9 July 2026

Definition of tug

Verb

Then, five days after the best start of his young MLB career coincided with one of his worst moments, he was yanked after just 2 1/3 innings in Sunday’s 11-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

— Spencer Nusbaum, New York Times, 5 July 2026
Winco also yanked about 13,500 Roman Candles 8 Shot 3-Pack Firework Devices.

— David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 2 July 2026

Definition of yank

Verb

There is something cultish about that idea — the player who tends not to start but has the knack to appear later on with antennae twitching, ready to seize the day and alter the course of a match.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026
Leon Stetson was allegedly twitching, so officers moved him away from Carrie Stetson and started to render medical aid.

— Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026

Definition of twitch

Verb

The question is whether Thompson will shake free from the Mavericks, either through a buyout or trade.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
The wine and cocktail menu sports a few local makers too, including Gruet Winery’s sparkling wine and Hollow Spirits vodka, which is shaken into the restaurant’s take on a Vesper martini.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 13 July 2026

Definition of shake

Noun

Perhaps most astonishingly, the movie manages to make creepy clowns — that shopworn trope — genuinely frightening again.

— Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 7 July 2026
The group demonstrated near the Washington Monument and was met by a few counter protestors, one of which played clown music throughout the majority of the demonstration.

— Antonio Pequeño IV, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026

Definition of clown

Noun

These elegant, loose-fitting pull-on pants sit high on the waist, creating a leg-lengthening effect.

— Caroline Hughes, Travel + Leisure, 8 July 2026
This convergence is a very encouraging sign, providing the first footprint of a structural trend change and indicating that the selling pressure from the recent rug pull is finally exhausting itself.

— Nishant Pant, CNBC, 7 July 2026

Definition of pull

Verb

Once, somewhere in southern Virginia, Dad performed the customary lurch off the highway in the direction of a promising barbecue counter.

— Rachel Tepper Paley, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 July 2026
The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.

— Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026