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
Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
That rich people sure can be easily manipulable jerks?
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Gave the two jerks her very best.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Because even in a world of monsters, ghouls, and greedy jerks, the good guys still prevail.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
But note that Bill and Ted aren’t jerks — watch Excellent Adventure now and you’ll be struck by how incredibly sunny its humor is.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Its strong coverage quietly makes sure that streaming stays smooth, calls don't drop, and gaming goes on without any jerks.
—PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
The mechanism feels smooth and sturdy—no awkward jerks or wobbles.
—Zoë Sessums, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Life is too short to work with jerks.
—Shayne Fitz-Coy, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
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
Instead, the Engel-Jackson family is more run-of-the-mill awful — a recognizable pack of self-serving jerks more focused on the appearance of cheer than any real kindness.
—Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 12 Dec. 2025
That rich people sure can be easily manipulable jerks?
—Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 14 Nov. 2025
Gave the two jerks her very best.
—Rachel Raposas, PEOPLE, 23 Oct. 2025
Because even in a world of monsters, ghouls, and greedy jerks, the good guys still prevail.
—Gwen Ihnat, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
But note that Bill and Ted aren’t jerks — watch Excellent Adventure now and you’ll be struck by how incredibly sunny its humor is.
—Tim Grierson, Vulture, 18 Oct. 2025
Its strong coverage quietly makes sure that streaming stays smooth, calls don't drop, and gaming goes on without any jerks.
—PC Magazine, 15 Oct. 2025
The mechanism feels smooth and sturdy—no awkward jerks or wobbles.
—Zoë Sessums, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Life is too short to work with jerks.
—Shayne Fitz-Coy, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
-
These motorcycles were so well-built that they were even employed in both World Wars, mainly as dispatch bikes and sidecar tugs for the British armed forces.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Dec. 2025
-
The first, known as the radial velocity technique, looks for slight wobbles in the star’s position, as the gravity of an orbiting exoplanet tugs it one way and then the other.—
Jeffrey Kluger,
Time,
1 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Judy yanks Mikey’s roller trunk out of the mud and leads him toward one of the nearby hiking trails.—
Michael Nied,
PEOPLE,
26 Nov. 2025
-
Suddenly, someone in the audience yanks her violently into the screaming mass of people.—
Madeleine Marr,
Miami Herald,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Persistent muscle twitches Everyone’s muscles twitch from time to time, usually at various locations.—
Angela Haupt,
Time,
15 Jan. 2026
-
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
-
White Lotus fans are used to seeing Patrick Schwarzenegger reveling in a luxurious island vacation at Thailand’s Four Seasons Koh Samui, with protein shakes in hand, of course.—
Rachel Chang,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Jan. 2026
-
Nix shakes hands with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen at the end of Saturday's game.—
Rohan Nadkarni,
NBC news,
18 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
There are other quirky attractions here, too, like the Clown Motel, where horror enthusiasts can sleep among a collection of more than 6,500 clowns.—
Cailey Rizzo,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Jan. 2026
-
After his parents divorced, his mother took 5-year-old Salazar with her, moving from place to place around South America, and performing as clowns to make money.—
Lisa Deaderick,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Each sub-agent starts with fresh context rather than accumulating information in a single conversation thread, enabling larger pulls across multiple sources and longer tasks without hitting context limits.—
Janakiram MSV,
Forbes.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
The days when there were only a few options for kitchen cabinet knobs and pulls are long gone.—
Maria Sabella,
Better Homes & Gardens,
13 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Sometimes an unexpected event lurches family members into becoming caregivers.—
Briah Lumpkins,
Charlotte Observer,
12 Jan. 2026
-
Three seconds later, the Honda crashes into a parked car with such force its tires fly off the street, the pile of cars lurches forward several feet and snow billows.—
Claire Galofaro,
Fortune,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The man fidgets, shifts around in his seat and fixates on Zarutska before pulling out a small knife and striking her multiple times around her neck.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerks. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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