jerk

[jurk]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR jerk ON THESAURUS.COM

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

jerk

[jurk]

verb (used with object)

to preserve (meat, especially beef) by cutting in strips and curing by drying in the sun.

adjective

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.

noun

jerky².

Origin of jerk

First recorded in 1700–10; back formation from jerky²

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

Examples from the Web for jerked

Contemporary Examples of jerked

The guard shoved him against the wall, jerked his hands behind him and handcuffed him.
The Cost: What Stop and Frisk Does to a Young Man’s Soul
Rilla Askew
May 21, 2014
If she were in a panic, or terrified, or jerked awake during a fire, she would not remember how to produce those American sounds.
This Week’s Hot Reads: May 20, 2013
Cameron Martin, Jessica Ferri, Jimmy So
May 20, 2013
“I got jerked both ways in the car, hit my head on the divider, and then hit my legs on the side of the car,” he says.
Ezra Miller on ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower,’ Being Bisexual & More
Marlow Stern
September 18, 2012
He jerked the window up with such force that it jammed after having opened only five inches.
Exclusive Excerpt: MLK's Haunting Final Hours
Hampton Sides
April 24, 2010
While Roth is clearly annoyed at being "jerked around," others say it might make sense for Lautner to book projects fast.
Is He Sabotaging His Career?
Kim Masters
March 9, 2010

Historical Examples of jerked

At dinner she shook and jerked and spilt things worse than ever.
Life and Death of Harriett Frean
May Sinclair
He jerked sharply up on the reins, and she broke into a staggering trot.
Way of the Lawless
Max Brand
The tears ceased, her eyes flashed, she jerked her body upright, listening.
The Leopard Woman
Stewart Edward White
He opened his eyes at my acquaintance with his name, but jerked his head at me comprehendingly.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance
He jerked his head away and swung round in his chair to argue the matter.
The Fortune Hunter
Louis Joseph Vance

British Dictionary definitions for jerked

jerk

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

jerk

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 jerked

jerk

v.1

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

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].

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.

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 jerked

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.

jerk

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

Verb Phrases

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Origin of jerk

jerk

verb (used with object)

adjective

noun

Origin of jerk

Examples from the Web for jerked

Contemporary Examples of jerked

Historical Examples of jerked

jerk

verb

noun

Word Origin for jerk

jerk

verb (tr)

noun

Word Origin for jerk

jerk

jerk

jerk

jerk

jerk

v.

n.