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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of jerks
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.
—
William Earl,
Variety,
10 June 2026
To relitigate the matter on behalf of Musk only served to underline the conviction that all of these jerks deserved one another.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
Here, witches are real — and so are jerks.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
This was just the beginning of us young anarchists becoming judgmental jerks.
—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
In the new sequel, Grace teams with her estranged younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), as they’re hunted by four elite families full of murderous jerks scrambling to become the High Seat of a Council that controls the world.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Smarmy jerks can get obscenely wealthy in this country just by managing other people’s money.
—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
Moreover, where most clients are great, some are jerks.
—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky.
—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
The video suddenly jerks away as the vehicle starts to move and shots can be heard.
—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
The boy jerks his head as if to wake himself, turns around abruptly and looks the other way, even though there’s nothing special to see besides darkness and emptiness, which is where a living eye should never look.
—
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Paul goes to shake her hand but jerks it back, then gives her a left-handed handshake.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
After Game 4, jerks were throwing things at Victor Wembanyama.
—
Voice Of The People,
New York Daily News,
13 June 2026
Something from this article might put me on some Ben Shapiro list, where a bunch of jerks literally will just call me ‘f****t’ or worse on my social media.
—
William Earl,
Variety,
10 June 2026
To relitigate the matter on behalf of Musk only served to underline the conviction that all of these jerks deserved one another.
—
Gideon Lewis-Kraus,
New Yorker,
20 May 2026
Here, witches are real — and so are jerks.
—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Apr. 2026
This was just the beginning of us young anarchists becoming judgmental jerks.
—
Joseph Hudak,
Rolling Stone,
7 Apr. 2026
In the new sequel, Grace teams with her estranged younger sister, Faith (Kathryn Newton), as they’re hunted by four elite families full of murderous jerks scrambling to become the High Seat of a Council that controls the world.
—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
21 Mar. 2026
Smarmy jerks can get obscenely wealthy in this country just by managing other people’s money.
—
Gilad Edelman,
The Atlantic,
7 Feb. 2026
Moreover, where most clients are great, some are jerks.
—
Kathy Kristof,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Verb
In a viral video of the aftermath, the robot jerks back and forth to shake the glass off, showering yet more dangerous shards onto the sidewalk.
—
Frank Landymore,
Futurism,
26 Mar. 2026
Ross’s video does not show if the SUV made contact with him, as the camera angle jerks up to the sky.
—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
The video suddenly jerks away as the vehicle starts to move and shots can be heard.
—
Nicole Sganga,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
The boy jerks his head as if to wake himself, turns around abruptly and looks the other way, even though there’s nothing special to see besides darkness and emptiness, which is where a living eye should never look.
—
Literary Hub,
10 Nov. 2025
Paul goes to shake her hand but jerks it back, then gives her a left-handed handshake.
—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerks
Noun
-
Hang out with sheep, meet magicians and clowns and explore the amusement park.
-
The only leaders more buffoonish and lethal than the fairground hucksters elected in our failing democracies are the omnipotent clowns of tyranny.
Noun
-
Those vessels are smaller commercial ships, including five smaller oil tankers, coastal ships and tugs, according to analysis of the vessels waiting.
-
Your 8th House of Intimacy and Resources tugs on play as the intuitive Moon squares messenger Mercury in your 5th House of Creativity.
Verb
-
Like a false note on an out-of-tune piano, a clunky verb, a sentence without rhythm, yanks the reader out the flow of the work.
-
Maden takes thee wine bottle from him and the officers reach for his wrists but Brown resists and yanks his arms back, the video shows.
Verb
-
Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.
-
Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.
Verb
-
Huel offers nutritionally complete protein shakes as meal replacements.
-
The room shakes, and my mug falls to the ground.
Noun
-
In addition, Milk-Bone is hosting a rooftop screening and intergalactic rest-stop for Dogs in NYC for famous dogs and their owners, as well as press and influencers.
-
Short-muzzle breeds like pugs and bull dogs are at higher risk of heat stroke, as are older dogs, overweight dogs and dogs with medical conditions, according to Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine.
Noun
-
Irwin, who is the sister of former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Trent Irwin, recorded 94 flag pulls and 15 interceptions as a safety.
-
Metadata, logs and API pulls confirm a token was spent and a call was made.
Verb
-
The film unhurriedly lurches from one markedly similar fight scene to the next, with only Skeletor’s occasional injections of ripe innuendo to liven them up a bit.
-
By the end, Noonan’s film stops feeling like a first date and starts to resemble the makings of a crime scene as his mood lurches toward something dangerous.
Cite this Entry
“Jerks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerks. Accessed 3 Jul. 2026.
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