as in to play (on or upon)
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Recent Examples of jerk around
And that’s not even taking into consideration the continual jerking around of Busy Philipps.
—
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
18 July 2025
He was locked up to be a franchise player, and franchise players aren’t typically jerked around like that.
—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
The vehicles are tricked out with surround sound, too; and at one point on our joyride the bus was jerked around by the bus driver to simulate the sensation of a subway speeding underfoot.
—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
The shocking news out of this summer’s Olympic break-dancing competition in Paris wasn’t that a female Australian competitor had hopped and jerked around like Uma Thurman being revived from a drug coma in Pulp Fiction.
—
Christian Schneider,
National Review,
24 Oct. 2024
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons Category: Starter to star After a year where the former lottery pick was jerked around in regard to minutes, role, and even on-court responsibilities, Ivey is now set to enter his third year, finally with some stability attached to his name.
—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes,
17 Sep. 2024
For a population like Gaza’s, there’s not enough food, people have been jerked around from place to place.
—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
8 May 2024
The guy in the center seat where the stringer was tied off noticed it was being jerked around.
—
Idaho Statesman,
2 Mar. 2016
Bethy Squires,
Vulture,
18 July 2025
He was locked up to be a franchise player, and franchise players aren’t typically jerked around like that.
—
Grant Brisbee,
New York Times,
18 June 2025
The vehicles are tricked out with surround sound, too; and at one point on our joyride the bus was jerked around by the bus driver to simulate the sensation of a subway speeding underfoot.
—
Patricia Marx,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
The shocking news out of this summer’s Olympic break-dancing competition in Paris wasn’t that a female Australian competitor had hopped and jerked around like Uma Thurman being revived from a drug coma in Pulp Fiction.
—
Christian Schneider,
National Review,
24 Oct. 2024
Jaden Ivey, Detroit Pistons Category: Starter to star After a year where the former lottery pick was jerked around in regard to minutes, role, and even on-court responsibilities, Ivey is now set to enter his third year, finally with some stability attached to his name.
—
Morten Stig Jensen,
Forbes,
17 Sep. 2024
For a population like Gaza’s, there’s not enough food, people have been jerked around from place to place.
—
Isaac Chotiner,
The New Yorker,
8 May 2024
The guy in the center seat where the stringer was tied off noticed it was being jerked around.
—
Idaho Statesman,
2 Mar. 2016
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerk around
Verb
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This enables robots to identify objects, track movement, plan motions, and manipulate components with a high degree of precision.
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Wang then placed his hands underneath her clothing and began touching her breasts before manipulating her arm to touch his genitals, the suit states.
Verb
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The targeting led the Russians to use an alternative route, according to the Ukrainian military, with a large number of trucks carrying military supplies sent further west.
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Officers conducted a search on foot and using a drone, but were unable to locate the animal.
Verb
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Dennis, 32, was sentenced to six years in the Colorado Department of Corrections for the pimping charge, court records show.
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With a focus on combating prostitution, pimping, pandering, and human trafficking impacting the downtown area, officers with the San Bernardino Police Department served a search warrant on April 29 at the motel.
Verb
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While acknowledging Costco's cultural dominance, Sam's Club leverages its scale and digital edge to build loyalty among younger consumers who value utility, convenience, and a feeling of belonging over traditional retail friction.
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Caluk said there's a need to leverage terrestrial building experiences.
Verb
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One example would be laws prohibiting humans from mistreating AIs psychologically or physically.
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Weyland-Yutani is a sort of extreme example of what economists call a monopsony — when one employer dominates a labor market and gains power to underpay and mistreat workers.
Verb
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One video advertises access to a longer clip of a boy toddler being abused for less than three dollars.
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Christina alleged that Joan physically and emotionally abused her and Christopher in her best-selling 1978 memoir, Mommie Dearest, which was adapted for the 1981 film that starred Faye Dunaway.
Cite this Entry
“Jerk around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerk%20around. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
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