yerk

[ yurk ]

verb (used with object)

to strike or whip.
to stir up; arouse; excite.

to jerk.
to move (a part of one's body) with a jerk.
to pull (stitches) tight or bind tightly.

verb (used without object)

to kick.
to rise suddenly.

to enter into something eagerly.

noun

a kick or jerk.
a thud or blow, as from a stick.

Origin of yerk

¹

1400–50; late Middle English < ?

Words Nearby yerk

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use yerk in a sentence

George bit his lip, scratched his head with the awl, and gave the lingles such a yerk, that he made them both crack in two.
The Shepherd's Calendar | James Hogg
Crack on, Mr yerk, and let us overhaul this small swaggerer.
Tom Cringle's Log | Michael Scott
But an I get the first yerk of a chield, I'm no unco feared for his return.
The Three Perils of Man, Vol. 1 (of 3) | James Hogg
Ship aboard of us for Noo yerk, and if that dont make a man of yoo, call me small pumpkins arterwards.
Cradock Nowell, Vol. 3 (of 3) | Richard Doddridge Blackmore
But Whiffle never could acquit yerk of having been, directly or indirectly, the cause of his suffering from the impure shower.
Tom Cringle's Log | Michael Scott

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