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 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 There are some heartfelt, tear-jerking moments this season. Destiny Jackson, Deadline, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerking
Verb
  • Lockheed Martin subsidiary Sikorsky has taken the next logical step in making a Black Hawk helicopter autonomous by not only installing the gear needed for self-flying, but by yanking out the entire cockpit and replacing it with cargo doors.
    David Szondy October 13, New Atlas, 13 Oct. 2025
  • However, she was momentarily stopped when one concert goer grabbed her, violently yanking her backwards and into the barricade.
    Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Any dairy farmer can tell you that biting flies are a pestilent scourge for cattle herds, which is why one so often sees cows throwing their heads, stamping their feet, flicking their tails, and twitching their skin—desperately trying to shake off the nasty creatures.
    ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
  • Prior to the 2024 incident, Mangione reportedly shared information on Reddit about a number of health issues, including struggles with back pain, brain fog, and twitching leg muscles.
    Olivia-Anne Cleary, Time, 16 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Among seismic sports television changes during the past 50 years, the NBA’s new media rights deal, one that officially begins this week, isn’t quite as earth-shaking as CBS losing the NFL to Fox in 1994 or ABC losing Monday Night Football in 2005.
    Barry Jackson Updated October 21, Miami Herald, 21 Oct. 2025
  • The post shows video footage of the dog barking and shaking as floodwaters reached the dog's chest.
    Nicole Acosta, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The Marigold Room, just off the lobby, is an intimate music space and listening room for just 150 guests that’s already pulling national touring acts.
    Jennifer Bradley Franklin, Travel + Leisure, 21 Oct. 2025
  • Langham stopped the truck by pulling Hagen’s leg off the gas pedal and pushing the brake pedal with her hand.
    KC Baker, PEOPLE, 21 Oct. 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
  • The administration’s lurching one way and another with tariffs is another example.
    Erik Sherman, Forbes.com, 20 Sep. 2025
  • The title track opens the affair by lurching and creeping forward for ten minutes with odd, off-putting lyrics.
    Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Just be sure the lid’s fully sealed before tossing it in your bag or pack.
    Clay Abney, Travel + Leisure, 20 Oct. 2025
  • The long-standing tradition involves the crowd tossing the discs into the air primarily before kickoff at Jones AT&T Stadium.
    Skyler Caruso, PEOPLE, 20 Oct. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jerking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerking. Accessed 23 Oct. 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!