Definition of jerry-riggednext

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 jerry-rigged A lot of what can and should be built are bespoke products in their own right that would otherwise have been jerry-rigged from external companies. Naveen Zutshi, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 Lenovo's software has also matured, so switching between games feels more like playing a game console and less like a laptop jerry-rigged into a handheld. Zackery Cuevas, PC Magazine, 5 Sep. 2025 This repurposing reflects how biological evolution is jerry-rigged, making use of what’s available. Philip Ball, Wired News, 8 June 2025 Ali Al-Ahmed, a dissident Saudi scholar who kept in touch with Sahar, sent me a photograph of an apparatus that the sisters had jerry-rigged to distill fresh water from the sea, and one of a copper hook for catching fish and crabs. Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerry-rigged
Adjective
  • Yirenki’s challenge on Christos Tzolis is clumsy, but well short of a first yellow card, let alone a second.
    Graham Scott, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Vocals are surprisingly good, despite the show being a bit awkward and clumsy at times.
    Talia McWright, Twin Cities, 9 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Other downsides to sulfates include leaving hair feeling dry, brittle, and rough, which Trisler says can be even more damaging if your hair is already compromised.
    Audrey Noble, Vogue, 27 Aug. 2026
  • Hsu’s argument for why the near-monochrome restaurant doesn’t go flat is that the palette itself runs on tension, with the statement-making veined marble behind the point-of-sale area set against rough plaster walls.
    Alexis Benveniste, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Totally ignoring the humanity of both worker and customer is rude, and yet both parties are interested in getting on with whatever the transaction is.
    Judith Martin, Mercury News, 25 Aug. 2026
  • When Hank and Peggy meet a new family who has moved into the neighborhood, the Laotian Souphanousinphones, Hank immediately dislikes the father, Kahn, who is abrasive, competitive, and often rude.
    Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 24 Aug. 2026
Adjective
  • Hubble launched in 1990 with a flawed mirror that required spacewalking astronauts’ dramatic intervention.
    Marcia Dunn, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Historically, retail rankings were flawed, often missing true leaders like A&P, which dominated for decades before Sears and Walmart.
    Jason Goldberg, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Jerry-rigged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerry-rigged. Accessed 31 Aug. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster