jerk
1a quick, sharp pull, thrust, twist, throw, or the like; a sudden movement: The train started with a jerk.
a spasmodic, usually involuntary, muscular movement, as the reflex action of pulling the hand away from a flame.
any sudden, quick movement of the body, as in dodging something.
Slang. a contemptibly rude, inconsiderate, or mean person:That jerk just cut me off!
(in weightlifting) the raising of a weight from shoulder height to above the head by straightening the arms.
jerks, British Informal. physical jerks.
a dance, deriving from the twist, in which the dancers alternately thrust out their pelvises and their shoulders.
the jerks, paroxysms or violent spasmodic muscular movements, as resulting from excitement evoked by some religious services.
to pull, twist, move, thrust, or throw with a quick, suddenly arrested motion: She jerked the child by the hand.
to utter in a broken, spasmodic way.
Informal. to prepare, dispense, and serve (sodas, ice cream, etc.) at a soda fountain.
to give a jerk or jerks.
to move with a quick, sharp motion; move spasmodically.
to talk in a broken, spasmodic way.
Informal. to work as a soda jerk.
to dance the jerk.
jerk off, Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.
Origin of jerk
1Other words from jerk
- jerk·er, noun
- jerk·ing·ly, adverb
Words Nearby jerk
Other definitions for jerk (2 of 2)
to preserve (meat, especially beef) by cutting in strips and curing by drying in the sun.
being or containing a spicy seasoning mixture flavored with allspice, used especially in Jamaican cooking: jerk sauce.
prepared with jerk flavorings, especially by barbecuing or grilling: jerk chicken.
Origin of jerk
2Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use jerk in a sentence
Today, more than two decades after I arrived here in that rental van, this allegiance manifests as knee-jerk defensiveness when others take shots at California.
In a container, liquid can be levitated over a layer of gas by shaking the container up and down because the repeated, upward jerking motion keeps fluid from dripping into the air below.
Toy boats float upside down underneath a layer of levitated liquid | Maria Temming | September 2, 2020 | Science NewsThat would be a heartbreaking experience for anyone to go through, and I’m so sorry that this jerk betrayed your trust like that.
Social Media Feels Increasingly Toxic. What Do I Do? | Blair Braverman | August 29, 2020 | Outside OnlineMake the jerk bleed for your bike and they’re far less likely to bother at all.
The most secure ways to lock up your bike | By Michael Frank/Cycle Volta | August 26, 2020 | Popular-ScienceBill Gates was widely considered to come off like an evasive jerk in his testimony at the time … Which means he is now perfectly positioned to help Jeff Bezos learn from his mistakes in the Amazon titan’s first appearance before Congress.
Advice for Jeff Bezos on testifying before Congress from me, the totally real Bill Gates | Sarah Todd | July 27, 2020 | Quartz
You write a lot about how you were a jerk or a snob when it came to comedy or film.
Patton Oswalt on Fighting Conservatives With Satire | William O’Connor | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTEmetophobia tends to compromise my relationships, turning me into a selfish jerk.
What they found was that most people preferred to work with the lovable fool rather than the competent jerk.
“Either this or stay home and jerk off,” said one guy when I asked why he came tonight.
The Craziest Date Night for Single Jews, Where Mistletoe Is Ditched for Shots | Emily Shire | December 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIt is not a knee-jerk response to a sudden perceived threat.
A twist, a sudden jerk, and it was Black Hood who had the signal device now.
Here the little dogs sit and bark and jerk, ready to dodge into their hole in a moment.
It made the skin jerk and pull as if he were trying to get rid of an itch without using his hand.
He said nothing, however, but he went over and gave the bell cord a violent jerk.
The Amazing Interlude | Mary Roberts RinehartWhen you tug a boat, you must not jerk at the rope but pull it gently, so I urged Kari to pull it smoothly.
Kari the Elephant | Dhan Gopal Mukerji
British Dictionary definitions for jerk (1 of 2)
/ (dʒɜːk) /
to move or cause to move with an irregular or spasmodic motion
to throw, twist, pull, or push (something) abruptly or spasmodically
(tr often foll by out) to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a spasmodic, abrupt, or breathless manner
an abrupt or spasmodic movement
an irregular jolting motion: the car moved with a jerk
Also called: physical jerks (plural) British informal physical exercises
(plural) US a slang word for chorea
slang, mainly US and Canadian a person regarded with contempt, esp a stupid or ignorant person
Origin of jerk
1Derived forms of jerk
- jerker, noun
- jerking, adjective, noun
British Dictionary definitions for jerk (2 of 2)
/ (dʒɜːk) /
to preserve (venison, beef, etc) by cutting into thin strips and curing by drying in the sun
Also called: jerky jerked meat, esp beef
Origin of jerk
2Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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