jerking

present participle of jerk

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of jerking 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 There are some heartfelt, tear-jerking moments this season. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerking
Verb
  • Within seconds, officers in full riot gear surged forward in formation, yanking open the doors and pulling the passenger to safety.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Sep. 2025
  • But some lawmakers say that argument is baseless and that yanking the grants has left the state less equipped to prevent tragedies like this week’s attack at Annunciation Catholic School.
    Curt Devine, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Koberidze opens with a montage of cats, foot traffic, street dogs twitching in their sleep, statues and trees casting long shadows across buildings.
    Jessica Kiang, Variety, 17 Aug. 2025
  • Prater, who was expecting gory details, is a little harder to read, though his face twitching doesn’t seem like a great sign.
    Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Practice rounds sometimes turn into showcases of raw talent, the kind that leave teammates shaking their heads at the sound off his club face.
    Zach Sweet, Kansas City Star, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Police alleged that the brain bleed was consistent with shaking an infant.
    Liam Quinn, PEOPLE, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Running back Henry Rutledge is awaiting the results of an MRI for a lower-body injury after pulling himself after playing five snaps against North Carolina.
    Hunter Bailey, Charlotte Observer, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Companies that committed to DEI efforts and made public statements are now pulling back from those policies, editing their websites, disbanding employee resource groups, and quietly abandoning inclusive hiring goals.
    C200, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • 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
  • Andy sighed, shuddering between them.
    Bryan Washington, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2025
  • The White House will be well aware of this fact, particularly in an environment where fiscally conservative Republicans will be shuddering at Uncle Sam’s $37 trillion (and growing) national debt.
    Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • But while the new movie dawdles on its way to Toxie’s origins, then rushes toward a finale with a lurching rhythm that verges on calculated ineptitude, its spirit never feels inauthentic.
    Alison Willmore, Vulture, 29 Aug. 2025
  • The result, nearly eight months into his second term, is an economy that appears to be lurching into a new era of state control.
    Allison Morrow, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • During that span, Browning went 4-3 as the team’s starter while tossing 12 touchdowns to just seven interceptions.
    Kambui Bomani, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
  • After tossing a few MAGA hats to the crowd, Kirk sat down under the canopy to take questions.
    Rick Jervis, USA Today, 14 Sep. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jerking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerking. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on jerking

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!