1
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
his constant rudeness and insensitivity made everyone think he was a real jerk
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements
you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shake
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the car jerked with every shift of the gear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of jerk
Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
His profession is to be the screaming jerk on reality shows, and his house burns down.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.
—Phoebe Liu, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for jerk
Noun
The addition of smoky mezcal, bright citrus from Cointreau, and warming jerk bitters captures the spirit of these celebrations.
—Kate Bradshaw, Mercury News, 9 June 2026
His profession is to be the screaming jerk on reality shows, and his house burns down.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 28 May 2026
Verb
My biggest frustration is the way the operators literally jerk us around with the sudden hard stops.
—Chicago Tribune, 8 June 2026
In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.
—Phoebe Liu, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for jerk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerk
Noun
-
The parasite has the cattle and dairy industry on edge, but in Mexico, screwworm has also been found in bears, pigs, goats, and even dogs and cats.—
John Lauritsen,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
Marseille said the dog was always with her sister or nephew.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
-
If all goes well, Katalyst's space tug (it's called Link) will lift the Swift observatory into a higher, safer orbit — one that will add years of life to the aging space telescope's mission.—
Tariq Malik,
Space.com,
19 June 2026
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The clash between the two dynamics — one extolling beauty, the other detailing gruesome crimes — makes for an oil-vinegar mix that speaks to the tug of war women experience between using the beauty versus their brains.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
18 June 2026
Verb
-
Within days of its release, Anthropic’s most sophisticated public AI model was abruptly yanked from customers.—
Hadas Gold,
CNN Money,
21 June 2026
-
With two outs and a runner on, Sasaki yanked a splitter to the inside edge of the strike zone to Gunnar Henderson, who lifted it over the wall in right field.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
Durrell alternates between slapstick domestic high jinks, wanderings through the lush natural landscape, and increasingly ambitious investigations of biological life, from tracking twitching bacteria in pond water to the mating habits of insects.—
Rachel Syme,
New Yorker,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Canada’s first-ever World Cup win was overshadowed yesterday when midfielder Ismaël Koné suffered a broken leg after a tackle that left teammates shaken and coach Jesse Marsch lamenting an injury that turned a night of celebration into one of anguish.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
20 June 2026
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In a major rupture, strong shaking could cause severe damage near the fault and in areas built on soft or water-saturated soils, which can amplify shaking.—
Janet Loehrke,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
Noun
-
The island village is beset by sea hags, serial killers, creepy clowns and other evils that interfere with Tom’s dream of turning Widow’s Bay into a Martha’s Vineyard-like tourist destination.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
17 June 2026
-
Even the announcers are laughing at the clown Way to swing the bat.—
Zach Dean OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
That sense of modernity has sometimes felt absent from the movies’ sweetly old-fashioned world, which features pull-string cowboy dolls and a shiny spaceman action figure.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
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The wind projects to blow out to right field tonight, enhancing Muncy’s pull-side power potential.—
Josh Shepardson,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
Verb
-
As the carriage lurched forward, the teen’s mother fell from the vehicle, prompting Romanch Mahajan to jump out in an effort to help her, The Times reported.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
19 June 2026
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As the opening ceremony began with a flurry of speeches, the bus carrying Team Zambia lurched to a stop by the side of the road in southern Zimbabwe, 200 miles away.—
Ryan Lenora Brown,
NPR,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerk. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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