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
Aisha jerked and opened her eyes.
—
Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 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
The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
If Hall jerked too violently, let alone tried to run, the wire would pull the trigger, firing the shotgun Kiritsis had pointed at the back of Hall’s head.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
Literary Hub, 7 Jan. 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
The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
If Hall jerked too violently, let alone tried to run, the wire would pull the trigger, firing the shotgun Kiritsis had pointed at the back of Hall’s head.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerked
Verb
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While there is no physical blockade in the strait, Iran has threatened to attack any vessels moving through it, and insurers have yanked their war-risk policies, leaving hundreds of tankers in limbo.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Grand Rapids yanked Sherlock with 44 seconds to play, and the extra man paid off as Jameson Duell scored 15 seconds later to tie the game and send it into overtime.—
Andrew Cornelius,
Twin Cities,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Kearse twitched briefly after the lethal drugs began entering his system but stopped moving several minutes later.—
Freida Frisaro,
Sun Sentinel,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Through the scope, a polar bear twitched on the ice, 25 yards in front of me.—
Scott Haugen,
Outdoor Life,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The Palace centre-back shook off Leny Yoro as the ball was delivered into the box before heading past Senne Lammens.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The earthquake shook at a depth of 8 miles, with its epicenter approximately 4 miles east-northeast of Calexico.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Elsewhere in town, the original creature, played by Christian Bale, has lurched here from Austria still on his lonely quest for companionship.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Then, just as abruptly, the plane lurched up, slamming everyone back to the ground.—
Burkhard Bilger,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
After two-time All-Star David Bednar pitched a scoreless bottom of the seventh for Team USA, his brother, former first-rounder Will Bednar, tossed a scoreless frame of his own in the top of the eighth inning for the Giants.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
4 Mar. 2026
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But New York’s Court of Appeals tossed the guilty verdicts in April 2024, finding that the trial court judge, James Burke, shouldn’t have permitted three women to testify about rape and abuse allegations that weren’t tied to the charges.—
Molly Crane-Newman,
New York Daily News,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Later, when Tristan gently put his hand on Marke’s shoulder, the king shuddered.—
Scott Cantrell,
Dallas Morning News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
People shuddered at the sight of it, or groaned, or covered their eyes.—
Sam Kriss,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
While Democrats dominated the early voting numbers in Pulaski County -- one of the few heavily blue pockets of the state -- Democrats outnumbered Republicans in election day voting on Tuesday with 18,363 people casting Democratic ballots compared to the 10,500 who pulled ballots for Republicans.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 Mar. 2026
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The prosecutor alleged that Abril confronted the couple, at which point James MacEgan was shot and killed, before Abril grabbed MacEgan’s wife and pulled her into the creek.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Children fidgeted in the relentless August heat.—
Jacqui Gifford,
Travel + Leisure,
29 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerked. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
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