jerk

1 of 3

noun

1
a
: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person
was acting like a jerk
b
: an unlikable person
especially : one who is cruel, rude, or small-minded
a selfish jerk
2
: a single quick motion of short duration
a sudden jerk
gave the handle a jerk
3
a
: jolting, bouncing, or thrusting motions
b
: a tendency to produce spasmodic motions
4
a
: an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action
b
jerks plural : involuntary twitchings due to nervous excitement
5
: the pushing of a weight from shoulder height to a position overhead : the second phase of the clean and jerk in weight lifting

jerk

2 of 3

verb (1)

jerked; jerking; jerks

transitive verb

1
: to give a quick suddenly arrested push, pull, or twist to
jerk a rope
2
: to propel or move with or as if with a quick suddenly arrested motion
jerked the door open
3
: to mix and serve (drinks, such as sodas) behind a soda fountain

intransitive verb

1
: to make a sudden spasmodic motion
Her hand jerked up suddenly.
2
: to move in short abrupt motions or with frequent jolts
jerker noun

jerk

3 of 3

verb (2)

jerked; jerking; jerks

transitive verb

: to preserve (meat) in long sun-dried slices

Examples of jerk in a Sentence

Noun That jerk can't do anything right. Most of the kids are nice, but some are jerks. The dead branch came loose after a few jerks. He felt the jerk of the line as a fish took the bait. The car started with a jerk.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
For me, the principle rule of culture and team building is quite simple: No jerks. Mike Vitek, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 Bed bugs are resilient little jerks who play the world's worst game of hide-and-seek. John Tufts, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024 There are columns of flavors listed beneath the meats: jerk, teriyaki, curry, lemon pepper, piña colada, blueberry with blue cheese, tequila chili lime, raspberry chipotle, Hawaiian. Danielle Dorsey, Los Angeles Times, 22 Feb. 2024 On Hedgehog, there are no bots, no trolls, no jerks. John Matze, Fortune, 21 Feb. 2024 Pedro is a singularly fascinating central character, played by A Cop Movie lead Briones as a jokester, a hopeless romantic and an abrasive jerk, constantly picking fights. David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 16 Feb. 2024 Dishes will range from the luxurious, like deviled eggs with caviar, to the inventive, like jerk chicken with crepes. Amanda Yeager, Baltimore Sun, 1 Feb. 2024 Hence, the jerks are able to reign without much pushback. Brian Hamilton, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2024 The idea that somebody can function in the world with a disability and also be a jerk as well? Abbey White, The Hollywood Reporter, 9 Feb. 2024
Verb
Get the recipe > Best Jamaican Jerk Chicken The key to jerk chicken that tastes like it does in Jamaica is to use pimento wood and make sure your meat gets those dark, crusty edges. Saveur Editors, Saveur, 14 Feb. 2024 Nowhere is that more touching or deeply felt than in this tear jerking proposal. EW.com, 31 Oct. 2023 Something jerked my own fishing line dangling more than 400 feet below the shiny ocean surface. Lila Seidman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2024 The girl rose and began running with the headphones on, but the cord jerked her back. Justin Jouvenal, Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2024 The same mimetic codes are constantly used: the argumentative jerking of the hands, the singing tone of voice . . . Michelle Orange, Harper's Magazine, 3 Nov. 2023 Garcia reverted to his old habits of standing flat-footed and jerking his head straight back, offering Duarte a welcoming target. Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 3 Dec. 2023 From piri piri to jerk seasoning and blackening rub, there are multiple spices in this set to enjoy. Moriah Mason, Southern Living, 18 Oct. 2023 Dorff eventually spent a night at the sleep lab, where he was observed jerking and kicking his limbs during REM sleep. Steve Nadis, Discover Magazine, 26 Nov. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'jerk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb (1)

probably alteration of yerk

Verb (2)

back-formation from jerky entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (1)

1589, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Verb (2)

1707, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jerk was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near jerk

Cite this Entry

“Jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jerk. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

jerk

1 of 3 noun
1
: a short quick pull or twist : twitch
2
: an involuntary muscular movement or spasm
3
: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person

jerk

2 of 3 verb
1
: to give a short quick push, pull, or twist to
2
: to move in jerks or with a jerk

jerk

3 of 3 verb
: to preserve (meat) in long strips dried in the sun
Etymology

Verb

probably an altered form of earlier yerk "to beat or thrash"

Verb

from 1jerky

Medical Definition

jerk

noun
: an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action
especially : one induced by an external stimulus see knee jerk
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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