1
as in yanking
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 twitching
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 shaking
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 jerking
To that point, Olympia shouldn’t be allowed to play the jury the tear-jerking recording of Frank’s final phone call home as the water rose.
—
Noel Murray, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
The Surprise Lining The most tear-jerking moment, however, was kept secret until the very last minute.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Sounds like the plot of a tear-jerking movie, no?
—David Oliver, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
With an epic Oscar-winning title song by Streisand and tear-jerking scenes aplenty, this film is a perennial favorite and often referred to in pop culture.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
One video posted to the social platform X appeared to show Kirk addressing the students, at one point speaking about gang violence, before being struck near the neck and later jerking to his left side.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 10 Sep. 2025
The story follows a Jewish family across five generations, from childhood to adulthood, blending laughs and tear-jerking moments, just like in Bob-Waksberg’s other shows.
—Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Tear-jerking purple prose designed to make a Baby Boomer nostalgic and sad.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Gradually, as a meandering narrative comes to focus on the case of Hisashi (Ojiro Nakamura), a cheery young boy awaiting a heart transplant, the film’s intellectual and emotional interests come to a satisfying (and aggressively tear-jerking) head.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025
Noel Murray, Vulture, 31 Oct. 2025
The Surprise Lining The most tear-jerking moment, however, was kept secret until the very last minute.
—Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Sounds like the plot of a tear-jerking movie, no?
—David Oliver, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
With an epic Oscar-winning title song by Streisand and tear-jerking scenes aplenty, this film is a perennial favorite and often referred to in pop culture.
—Alex Apatoff, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
One video posted to the social platform X appeared to show Kirk addressing the students, at one point speaking about gang violence, before being struck near the neck and later jerking to his left side.
—Caroline Vakil, The Hill, 10 Sep. 2025
The story follows a Jewish family across five generations, from childhood to adulthood, blending laughs and tear-jerking moments, just like in Bob-Waksberg’s other shows.
—Braedon Montgomery, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Tear-jerking purple prose designed to make a Baby Boomer nostalgic and sad.
—Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025
Gradually, as a meandering narrative comes to focus on the case of Hisashi (Ojiro Nakamura), a cheery young boy awaiting a heart transplant, the film’s intellectual and emotional interests come to a satisfying (and aggressively tear-jerking) head.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerking
Verb
-
Video of that incident shows a man identified by police as Calhoon lunging across the table, yanking it toward him and flipping it on its side while Turning Point promotional materials spilled onto the pavement.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Ciattarelli promises to lower energy costs immediately by yanking the state out of a regional greenhouse gas initiative, as well as any other environmental policy that voters are sick of.—
David Weigel,
semafor.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
His eye is twitching, just a little.—
Allegra Goodman,
New Yorker,
4 Jan. 2026
-
In a heartbreaking video, a partially paralyzed dog is caught twitching his paws in his sleep, and internet users can’t stop sobbing.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Structure information summary Overall, the population in this region resides in structures that are highly resistant to earthquake shaking, though some vulnerable structures exist.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Jan. 2026
-
While Bryant was able to come from behind, the Lady Hornets had a hard time shaking off the Lady Warriors.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
As his career skyrocketed, Chalamet spent years quietly training — aided by an expert on the sport, Diego Schaaf — by pulling a table-tennis setup along to productions ranging from Dune to Wonka.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Notre Dame didn’t mess around in pulling all that material together, looking like a program with a plan before the portal opened.—
Pete Sampson,
New York Times,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cole, wearing a khaki jumpsuit, spent much of the hearing sitting quietly and attentively as the parties argued, occasionally adjusting his glasses or fidgeting slightly in his chair.—
Gary Grumbach,
NBC news,
30 Dec. 2025
-
Applause intermingled with tears as the families of the Camp Mystic campers and counselors looked on, many with small children fidgeting in their Sunday-best attire behind the governor.—
Rebekah Riess,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Most of the camp was enclosed with an electrified fence, to keep out the Big Men, the massive, shuddering ursids that could not be named (more on that later).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Dec. 2025
-
With haunted vocal multitracking and big, shuddering beats, the album builds to a climax in which hope and fear are swept into the same rush of human experience.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
12 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The midterm blue wave backlash is gathering, with the generic ballot lurching in the Democrats' favor and Trump’s popularity cratering.—
Matt Robison,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2025
-
After 40 days, the longest government shutdown in American history finally appears to be lurching toward an end.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Instead of tossing your cords into your carry-on and hoping for the best, keep your tech essentials organized with this compact $10 electronics organizer from Fyy.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Montana State players jumped around at midfield, some tossing their helmets, to celebrate the team’s first national championship since 1984.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jerking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerking. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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