1
as in yanked
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
Relevance
2
as in twitched
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 shook
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the car jerked with every shift of the gear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jerked
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
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 8 May 2026
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 Nov. 2025
Allen, who is 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, jerked his head back in an effort to draw a roughing penalty on Bolton.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
Phoebe Liu, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 8 May 2026
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.
—Alexandra Skores, CNN Money, 16 Apr. 2026
We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 13 Mar. 2026
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 16 Nov. 2025
Allen, who is 6 foot 5 and 237 pounds, jerked his head back in an effort to draw a roughing penalty on Bolton.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 2025
Travis jerked open the door and slid on his butt down a wing that was on fire.
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerked
Verb
-
Her only help came from a passenger who yanked the girls away.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
2 June 2026
-
The theater was also immediately gutted, the audience chairs yanked out and flung into a pile in the middle of the studio.—
Theresa Braine,
New York Daily News,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
21 May 2026
-
My jaw twitched uncontrollably.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
In the corner of the room, Kyle Schwarber shook his head.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
-
The Highlanders will have one less coach than usual for the CIF LA City Section Open Division championship in South Gate on Saturday after an accident shook the Highlanders to their core Monday.—
Ethan Hanson,
Daily News,
28 May 2026
Verb
-
As Aden Kassaye and her mother got out to inspect the damage, Beas Solorio reportedly lurched the BMW forward, making contact with Ayalew’s torso, prompting Ayalew to slam her hands on the BMW’s hood to brace herself and yell at the driver.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 May 2026
-
So between those two things, the balance of gerrymanders has lurched pretty abruptly toward the right.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
Pacheco’s absence hurt Covina (16-13-1), which threw five wild pitches in the dirt after the catcher was tossed.—
Don Norcross,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 June 2026
-
Young also tossed a deep ball to him in 11-on-11 work early in practice, but that was broken up by cornerback Jaycee Horn.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
The way the stadium shuddered with noise.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
7 May 2026
-
At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.—
Rick Bragg,
Southern Living,
15 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Colorado pulled to 8-3 in the fifth on Tyler Freeman’s two-run homer, but the Angels answered again in the bottom half on Jo Adell’s RBI single for a 9-3 lead.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
The hood’s intake is mounted at the back, so smoke and fumes rising from the back burners get pulled straight up into it.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
3 June 2026
Verb
-
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Mar. 2026
-
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.—
Rebecca Jennings,
Vulture,
20 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jerked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerked. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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