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clean and jerk

American  

noun

Weightlifting.

  1. a lift in which a barbell is raised from the floor to shoulder height where it is brought to rest and then, with a lunging movement by the lifter, is thrust overhead so the arms extend straight in the air, being held in this position for a short, specified length of time.

Etymology

Origin of clean and jerk

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The 30-year-old finished with a total of 288kg, lifting 126kg in the snatch and 162kg in the clean and jerk.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2024

The four-time British champion posted a combined total of 325kg from his snatch and his clean and jerk attempts.

From BBC • Aug. 1, 2022

In 1957, he became the world’s first man under 200 pounds to clean and jerk 400.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 10, 2021

She was finished at halftime, essentially, without any points to carry into the second discipline, the clean and jerk.

From Washington Post • Aug. 2, 2021

A very good 197-lb weight lifter lifted 192 kg in a move called the clean and jerk.

From Textbooks • Feb. 14, 2019

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.