jerk

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
a
: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person
was acting like a jerk
b
: an unlikable person
especially : one who is cruel, rude, or small-minded
a selfish jerk
2
: a single quick motion of short duration
a sudden jerk
gave the handle a jerk
3
a
: jolting, bouncing, or thrusting motions
b
: a tendency to produce spasmodic motions
4
a
: an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action
b
jerks plural : involuntary twitchings due to nervous excitement
5
: the pushing of a weight from shoulder height to a position overhead : the second phase of the clean and jerk in weight lifting

jerk

2 of 4

verb (1)

jerked; jerking; jerks

transitive verb

1
: to give a quick suddenly arrested push, pull, or twist to
jerk a rope
2
: to propel or move with or as if with a quick suddenly arrested motion
jerked the door open
3
: to mix and serve (drinks, such as sodas) behind a soda fountain

intransitive verb

1
: to make a sudden spasmodic motion
Her hand jerked up suddenly.
2
: to move in short abrupt motions or with frequent jolts
jerker noun

jerk

3 of 4

noun (2)

plural jerk
: a sweet and spicy dish of Jamaican origin that typically consists of pieces of meat, seafood, or vegetables that are marinated (as with green onion, thyme, allspice, chili pepper, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon) and barbecued
Jerk is a savory, flavorful result of the combination of African and native cultures on the island. … All Jamaicans have their own variations on jerk.Helen Willinsky
[The Maroons] … hunted wild pigs and deer for food. A kill ensured food, and preservation of the meat guaranteed sustenance during lean hunting or foraging times. Jerk as we know it today could have evolved from this early method of preserving meat using the island's spices.Melissa Thompson
Since dawn, Taylor Dudley of Boston Beach, Jamaica, has been at work turning a pig and plenty of hot peppers into jerk, the island's devilishly hot answer to barbecue.Kathleen Beckett-Young
often used before another noun
Done right, jerk chicken is one of the great barbecue traditions of the world …Julia Moskin
The neck bones are marinated overnight in jerk spices, seared on the charcoal grill for color and flavor and then slow cooked in the oven.Shelia Johnson
Turning over layers of chicken wings to be doused in her mother's secret jerk sauce, she said cooking was an important tradition in her family.Lori Teresa Yearwood
[Rukmini] Iyer's jerk cauliflower wings are a good encapsulation of her approach, which layers texture and flavor …Rebecca Flint Marx

jerk

4 of 4

verb (2)

jerked; jerking; jerks

transitive verb

1
: to prepare or marinate (meat, seafood, or vegetables) in the style of Jamaican jerk (see jerk entry 3)
Pork has been jerked in Jamaica at least since the mid-seventeenth century. Methods of pit cooking were brought to the island by African slaves, and these methods were probably the beginnings of jerk cooking techniques—though the native West Indians also cooked food on green wood lattices over open fire.Helen Willinsky
Right next to a Jamaican vendor jerking chicken and roasting fish on a barrel, a thick white smoke rose into the damp air …Morlette Cowan
2
: to preserve (meat) in long dried slices
[Meat cutter] Olen Carpenito said he hopes to expand the business soon, perhaps offering to jerk meat for customers or opening a retail store.Vicki McClure
… deer hunters are often people of firm opinion, and many of them have their own ways of jerking venison.A. D. Livingston

Examples of jerk in a Sentence

Noun (1) That jerk can't do anything right. Most of the kids are nice, but some are jerks. The dead branch came loose after a few jerks. He felt the jerk of the line as a fish took the bait. The car started with a jerk. Verb (1) I jerked to one side to avoid getting hit jerked the leash to get the dog's attention you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident the car jerked with every shift of the gear
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
The processing fee is absolutely not going to the part-time delivery person, but, rather, to a rich jerk who is golfing right now. Meghana Indurti, The New Yorker, 3 Dec. 2024 Also, your character’s supposed to be kind of a jerk. Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024
Verb
Your limbs, or even your entire upper body, may jerk or thrash in the process. Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024 Yanking a zipper shut is more likely to break teeth or jerk the slider off the track. Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 17 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for jerk 

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb (1)

probably alteration of yerk

Noun (2)

noun derivative of jerk entry 4

Verb (2)

probably back-formation from jerked, earlier girk't, jerkt "(of meat) cured by being cut into long slices and dried," formed with -ed entry 1 either from American Spanish charqui "meat cured in this manner" or from the English adjective jerkin in same sense (probably ultimately borrowed from southern Peruvian Quechua ch'arkini "to cure meat in this manner," causative derivative of ch'arki "cured meat") — more at jerky entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1575, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (1)

1589, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1928, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

1709, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of jerk was in 1575

Dictionary Entries Near jerk

Cite this Entry

“Jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jerk. Accessed 11 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

jerk

1 of 3 noun
1
: a short quick pull or twist : twitch
2
: an involuntary muscular movement or spasm
3
: an annoyingly stupid or foolish person

jerk

2 of 3 verb
1
: to give a short quick push, pull, or twist to
2
: to move in jerks or with a jerk

jerk

3 of 3 verb
: to preserve (meat) in long strips dried in the sun
Etymology

Verb

probably an altered form of earlier yerk "to beat or thrash"

Verb

from 1jerky

Medical Definition

jerk

noun
: an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action
especially : one induced by an external stimulus see knee jerk
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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