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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Prosecutors detailed at least four games in which the defendants are alleged to have schemed to have Beasley manipulate individual game stats for the benefit of gamblers.
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Among the schemes cited by officials was ATM jackpotting, a technically sophisticated form of theft in which criminals manipulate ATMs through malware, network intrusion or physical tampering to trigger unauthorized cash withdrawals.
Verb
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Alysa Guffey Currently, data centers use industrial zoning and ask for exemptions to use the site for data centers.
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In court documents, O’Hara alleged the defendants violated his First and Fourth Amendment rights, accusing them of unlawfully restricting free speech and initiating an unlawful seizure while using excessive force.
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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For his part, Prince William has embraced the technology, urging big tech companies to leverage tools to help prevent homelessness.
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Obtained by the Miami Herald, the document lays out Epstein’s early vision of leveraging South Florida’s economic and cultural power — and leaning into conservative politics — to position FIU for success.
Verb
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Platner is also an unfaithful spouse who mistreats women.
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One example would be laws prohibiting humans from mistreating AIs psychologically or physically.
Verb
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For more on how attackers can abuse connected devices, see our report on how the FBI warned that more than 1 million Android devices were hijacked by malware.
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Some dogs fear brooms, vacuum cleaners or other household products, particularly if they’ve been hurt or abused in the past.
Cite this Entry
“Jerk around.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerk%20around. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.
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