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
Giddey stopped, the ball cradled in his palm, shouting while jerking his hand in the rough direction of his intended pass.
—
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Video of the collision shows the train jerking from side-to-side.
—Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Merchants are aware that prices of metals could backtrack or keep jerking upward.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The room sighs in relief a second later when Buckley reanimates, jerking and flailing like a soul possessed, grinning maniacally — all on purpose, inspired by the earlier veil snafu.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Some signs that the carburetor is clogged on a snow blower are starting then dying a few seconds afterward, jerking, sputtering noises, and black smoke emitting from the exhaust.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 1 Feb. 2026
The tear-jerking dramedy featured a breakthrough role for Emilia Jones, an Oscar-winning, scene-stealing turn by Troy Kotsur and a thoughtful narrative that took audiences into the personal lives of a deaf family with a single hearing member.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
That jerking motion, combined with detergent and water, loosens dirt from the surfaces of clothing.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
Sad to see Yang leave the comedy sketch series, viewers focused on saying their goodbyes rather than the tear-jerking sketch.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 2 Mar. 2026
Video of the collision shows the train jerking from side-to-side.
—Sara Gregory, AJC.com, 26 Feb. 2026
Merchants are aware that prices of metals could backtrack or keep jerking upward.
—Roxana Popescu, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The room sighs in relief a second later when Buckley reanimates, jerking and flailing like a soul possessed, grinning maniacally — all on purpose, inspired by the earlier veil snafu.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Feb. 2026
Some signs that the carburetor is clogged on a snow blower are starting then dying a few seconds afterward, jerking, sputtering noises, and black smoke emitting from the exhaust.
—David Beaulieu, The Spruce, 1 Feb. 2026
The tear-jerking dramedy featured a breakthrough role for Emilia Jones, an Oscar-winning, scene-stealing turn by Troy Kotsur and a thoughtful narrative that took audiences into the personal lives of a deaf family with a single hearing member.
—Brian Truitt, USA Today, 22 Jan. 2026
That jerking motion, combined with detergent and water, loosens dirt from the surfaces of clothing.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 27 Dec. 2025
Sad to see Yang leave the comedy sketch series, viewers focused on saying their goodbyes rather than the tear-jerking sketch.
—Nicholas Rice, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerking
Verb
-
The body-camera footage shows Exum yanking the wheel left, toward the Rogue, then right.—
Ruby Cramer,
New Yorker,
12 Mar. 2026
-
Other plaintiffs’ attorneys, however, have called the CEO’s threat of yanking the product a scare tactic.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Levy brought the dog in dead and claimed that that the dog had a seizure and was vomiting, choking and twitching before his death.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
27 Feb. 2026
-
The film uses music, the clippity-clop of hooves and twitching furry ears for her three donkeys — Palaye, Ruperto, Palomo — to surf critical acclaim on the film festival circuit to the upcoming Academy Awards.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Weak to light shaking has been detected and people reported feeling the tremor in several cities, including Geyserville, Kelseyville and Cloverdale according to the USGS DYFI report.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
8 Mar. 2026
-
But Bergeron was there every time his team needed a big stop, leaving the Vikings (15-7-2) shaking their heads many times.—
Matt Roy,
Boston Herald,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Those worries have spilled into financial markets, pulling share prices sharply lower.—
Alex Veiga,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Someone’s always pulling the knife out or holding the knife.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Minimal but purposeful movement, avoiding fidgeting or excessive gestures, shows intention.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes.com,
26 Jan. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
That all came to a shuddering halt after Khashoggi’s death.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Sat shuddering in my seat as the lights drew down.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The two sides have been lurching toward this end for a while now.—
Josh Kendall,
New York Times,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Brant, who was elected in a special election in August, inherited an office already in disarray, in a county that has spent the past year lurching from one government crisis to the next.—
Nick El Hajj,
Des Moines Register,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Rather than tossing your wallet, phone, boarding pass, and other loose items into a security bin, keep them together inside a small belt bag.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Some gardeners have great success tossing orange peels around the garden to repel cats.—
Lee Wallender,
The Spruce,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Jerking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerking. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
