1
as in bastards
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
his constant rudeness and insensitivity made everyone think he was a real jerk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tugs
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
guided the rowboat with a jerk of the rope
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in yanks
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
2
as in twitches
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 shakes
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the car jerked with every shift of the gear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jerks
Shayne Fitz-Coy, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Needless to say, all these vain, privileged, self-promoting jerks are soon going to make CW’s acquaintance, then regret it — even as vengeful Madison zeroes in on that lady’s whereabouts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
Life is too short to work with jerks.
—Shayne Fitz-Coy, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Needless to say, all these vain, privileged, self-promoting jerks are soon going to make CW’s acquaintance, then regret it — even as vengeful Madison zeroes in on that lady’s whereabouts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerks
Noun
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Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.—
Navdeep Singh Dhillon,
Parents,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Images from Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed tugs spraying water on the front of the New Orleans.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Charlotte pops by to drop off stuffing, and Carrie yanks her aside, accusing her of setting her up with Mark.—
Dave Nemetz,
TVLine,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Witnessing Hoosiers standing in front of public officials speaking passionately about a topic even as their voice shakes always invigorates my passion for this job.—
Karl Schneider,
IndyStar,
25 Aug. 2025
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Why do people queue up for a $20 smoothie when protein shakes cost $3?—
Billee Howard,
Forbes.com,
24 Aug. 2025
Noun
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While club masseurs and physios were kept busy dealing with his team-mates’ pulls and strains, Salah’s only demands were around preparation and ensuring his body was ready for whatever Klopp had to throw at him the following day.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
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The first-team All-County linebacker in ’24 led the Lancers in flag pulls, grabbed eight interceptions, and still caught 20 TDs.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
16 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Winnie and Marcel, detection dogs and graduates from the USDA National Detector Dog Training Center in Georgia, serve alongside plant inspectors Mary Glover and Kyle Webb in the TDA Plant Certification Section helping protect the state’s agriculture and nurseries from the Spotted Lanternfly.—
Katie Nixon,
The Tennessean,
25 Aug. 2025
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That connection, dogs and Jeeps, tends to be a big part of the Jeep Life ethos.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
24 Aug. 2025
Verb
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That appeared to be a distraction at times to Anisimova, who motioned to her team in the stands that something was bothering her during ball tosses for serves.—
Howard Fendrich,
Mercury News,
6 Sep. 2025
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Henry then surrenders his phone, and Tony tosses it into the air for Ziva to blast to pieces.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Also, the dual sonic mopping system vibrates 4,000 times a minute for intense cleaning power—and the mop water heats up to 176 degrees Fahrenheit to tackle stains (like stuck-on oil) and to kill germs during the self-cleaning cycle.—
Terri Williams,
Architectural Digest,
28 Aug. 2025
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Elements defy mode that vibrates the car to shed dust and dirt.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
21 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerks. Accessed 8 Sep. 2025.
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