jerk-off

[ jurk-awf, -of ]

/ ˈdʒɜrkˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jerk-off ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Slang: Vulgar.

a stupid, bumbling, foolish, or lazy person; jerk.

an act of masturbating.

Nearby words

jeritza, jeritza, maria, jerk, jerk around, jerk off, jerk-off, jerkin, jerkinhead, jerkwater, jerky, jerky nystagmus

Origin of jerk-off

First recorded in 1965–70; noun use of verb phrase jerk off

Definition for jerk off (2 of 2)

jerk

[ jurk ]

/ dʒɜrk /

noun

a 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 naive, fatuous, foolish, or inconsequential person.

(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.

verb (used with object)

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.

verb (used without object)

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.

Verb Phrases

jerk off, Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.

Origin of jerk

1540–50; 1935–40 for def 4; perhaps dialectal variant of yerk to draw stitches tight (shoemaker's term), thus making the shoe ready to wear, Old English gearcian to prepare, make ready

Related formsjerk·er, nounjerk·ing·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for jerk off (1 of 3)

jerk off

US jack off

verb

(adverb often reflexive) slang (of a male) to masturbate

usage

This word was formerly considered to be taboo, and it was labelled as such in previous editions of Collins English Dictionary . However, it has now become acceptable in speech, although some older or more conservative people may object to its use

British Dictionary definitions for jerk off (2 of 3)

jerk

/ (dʒɜːk) /

verb

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

noun

an abrupt or spasmodic movement

an irregular jolting motionthe 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

Derived Formsjerker, nounjerking, adjective, noun

Word Origin for jerk

C16: probably variant of yerk to pull stitches tight in making a shoe; compare Old English gearcian to make ready

British Dictionary definitions for jerk off (3 of 3)

jerk

/ (dʒɜːk) /

verb (tr)

to preserve (venison, beef, etc) by cutting into thin strips and curing by drying in the sun

noun

Also called: jerky jerked meat, esp beef

Word Origin for jerk

C18: back formation from jerky, from charqui

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for jerk off (1 of 5)

jerk off

slang, "perform male masturbation," by 1896, from jerk (v.) denoting rapid pulling motion + off. Farmer & Henley also list as synonyms jerk (one's) jelly and jerk (one's) juice. The noun jerk off or jerkoff as an emphatic form of jerk (n.) is attested by 1968. As an adjective from 1957.

Word Origin and History for jerk off (1 of 5)

jerk

v.1

"to pull," 1540s, "to lash, strike as with a whip," of uncertain origin, perhaps echoic. Related: Jerked; jerking.

Word Origin and History for jerk off (2 of 5)

jerk

n.2

"tedious and ineffectual person," 1935 (the lyric in "Big Rock Candy Mountain" apparently is "Where they hung the Turk [not jerk] that invented work"), American English carnival slang, of uncertain origin. Perhaps from jerkwater town (1878), where a steam locomotive crew had to take on boiler water from a trough or a creek because there was no water tank [Barnhart, OED]. This led 1890s to an adjectival use of jerk as "inferior, insignificant." Alternatively, or influenced by, verbal phrase jerk off "masturbate" [Rawson].

Word Origin and History for jerk off (3 of 5)

jerk

n.1

1550s, "stroke of a whip," from jerk (v.1). Sense of "sudden sharp pull or twist" first recorded 1570s. Meaning "involuntary spasmodic movement of limbs or features" first recorded 1805. As the name of a popular dance, it is attested from 1966. Sense in soda jerk attested from 1883, from the pulling motion required to work the taps.

Word Origin and History for jerk off (4 of 5)

jerk

v.2

as a method of preserving meat, 1707, American English, from American Spanish carquear, from charqui (see jerky). Related: Jerked.

Medicine definitions for jerk off

jerk

[ jûrk ]

v.

To make spasmodic motions.

n.

A sudden reflexive or spasmodic muscular movement.deep reflex

jerks Involuntary convulsive twitching often resulting from excitement. Often used with the.

Idioms and Phrases with jerk off

jerk off

Also, jack off. Masturbate, as in His roommate was always jerking off. [Vulgar slang; first half of 1900s]

jerk-off

noun Slang: Vulgar.

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Nearby words

Origin of jerk-off

Definition for jerk off (2 of 2)

jerk

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

Origin of jerk

British Dictionary definitions for jerk off (1 of 3)

jerk off

US jack off

verb

usage

British Dictionary definitions for jerk off (2 of 3)

jerk

verb

noun

Word Origin for jerk

British Dictionary definitions for jerk off (3 of 3)

jerk

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for jerk

Word Origin and History for jerk off (1 of 5)

jerk off

Word Origin and History for jerk off (1 of 5)

jerk

Word Origin and History for jerk off (2 of 5)

jerk

Word Origin and History for jerk off (3 of 5)

jerk

Word Origin and History for jerk off (4 of 5)

jerk

Medicine definitions for jerk off

jerk

v.

n.

Idioms and Phrases with jerk off

jerk off