soda jerk

American

[soh-duh jurk] / ˈsoʊ də ˌdʒɜrk /

Also soda jerker

noun

Informal: Older Use.

a person who prepares and serves sodas and ice cream at a soda fountain.

soda jerk British

noun

slang a person who serves at a soda fountain

"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

Etymology

Origin of soda jerk

1910–15, soda jerk shortened form of earlier (1880–85) soda jerker

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.

And despite his citations and medals and his efforts to move up in the world, Fred, a soda jerk before the war, is once again dishing up sundaes.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 7, 2025

Pharmacist-owner Michele Belcher was a soda jerk starting in middle school after her parents bought the Grants Pass Pharmacy from the original owner in 1973.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 19, 2023

Instead he saved $35 in earnings as a soda jerk to take seven flying lessons.

From New York Times • Jan. 28, 2023

He was chosen to be the soda jerk because he was smart, efficient and honest.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2021

But girls like her don’t really talk to the soda jerk, except, I guess, to order.

From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz

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