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
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
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
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
-
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
-
See, for example, Trump yanking the security clearances of former Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency director Chris Krebs for his defense of the 2020 election as securely run.—
Rob Pegoraro,
PC Magazine,
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
-
Weak to light shaking was detected, and people in multiple cities - such as Huntington Beach, Winchester, Menifee and Sun City - reported feeling the tremor, according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked or set ablaze, shaking investor confidence in the Southeast Asian economy and triggering a steep selloff on its stocks and currency markets on Friday.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Instead, his impact, like pulling children into his winner's circle, will continue to be honored by other tracks.—
Stephanie Kuzydym,
The Courier-Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
-
Carpenter spoke with Morning Edition host Leila Fadel about the challenges of relationships, her controversial album cover, which depicts her kneeling beside a man who is pulling her hair, and the new songs featured on the album.—
Brittney Melton,
NPR,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
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
-
The shuddering horror of the Coldplay couple.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
13 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
-
According to legend, tossing a coin from someone’s right hand over their left shoulder into the monument means the thrower is destined to return to Rome.—
Colson Thayer,
People.com,
28 Aug. 2025
-
Wiggins returned to game action Sunday, tossing three shutout innings while walking two and striking out two on 59 pitches for Knoxville.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Rodríguez’s phone is vibrating, shaking the bottle and glasses, though the chicharrones don’t move.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Aug. 2025
-
This zoo of proposals all introduce new effects outside the horizon that should change how a vibrating black hole emits gravitational waves.—
Matt von Hippel,
Quanta Magazine,
27 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerking. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share