herky-jerky
Americanadjective
Etymology
Origin of herky-jerky
First recorded in 1955–60; rhyming compound based on jerk 1, -y 1
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.
But the herky-jerky song-and-dance sequences are wild, a potent reminder that America has long been the land of the free and the home of the rave.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2025
Unlike running or my herky-jerky stints on the Nordic Machine strider in the basement, there was no specter of calories.
From Salon • Jul. 25, 2024
Over the span of a few seconds, a robot would dance in a herky-jerky fashion, its movement spelling out the temperature in degrees Celsius.
From Science Magazine • Mar. 15, 2024
It's a deliciously strange, herky-jerky pop number, orchestrated by synth bassoons and merry-go-round organs.
From BBC • Feb. 12, 2024
The siren song of the void puts you on edge; it makes your movements tentative, clumsy, herky-jerky.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
