1
as in bastard
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
his constant rudeness and insensitivity made everyone think he was a real jerk
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
1
as in to yank
to move or cause to move with a sharp quick motion
I jerked to one side to avoid getting hit jerked the leash to get the dog's attention
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2
as in to twitch
to make jerky or restless movements
you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to shake
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the car jerked with every shift of the gear
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of jerk
Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
With a bigger budget and a wilder premise (Ash is now stuck in medieval times), this film re-centers our hero as a quip-spouting action hero jerk with a heart of gold.
—EW.com, 17 Oct. 2024
Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2024
The sound jerked out of him in strange squeaks, as if someone were wiping a mirror.
—Victor Lodato, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for jerk 
Noun
At that moment, the gondola pulled into the refuge of the mountain station with a sudden jerk.
—Yiyun Li, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
With a bigger budget and a wilder premise (Ash is now stuck in medieval times), this film re-centers our hero as a quip-spouting action hero jerk with a heart of gold.
—EW.com, 17 Oct. 2024
Verb
The pole snapped, and Todd jerked it out of the officer’s hand, cutting the officer’s finger, which required seven stitches.
—Antonia Hitchens, The New Yorker, 12 Aug. 2024
The sound jerked out of him in strange squeaks, as if someone were wiping a mirror.
—Victor Lodato, The New Yorker, 29 July 2024
See all Example Sentences for jerk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerk
Noun
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In this polarizing election climate, watch for the four biases that Harris will most likely face as the first woman of color to run for president in the U.S.: the tightrope, maternal wall, prove it again and tug of war biases.Julie Kratz, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
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Kneeling before me, a genderless cutie in a leather dog mask begs for another round of rope tug.Bae Leche, refinery29.com, 3 Oct. 2024
Verb
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If the court doesn’t grant them that injunction, NASCAR is ready to yank those Charters and let the team’s race as open entries.Greg Engle, Forbes, 9 Oct. 2024
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This noted, what Mother is brilliant at is showing us the rug being yanked from under her feet, again and again, in terse, breathless prose—sometimes girlishly purple, at others brusque with the idioms of the era.Will Self, Harper's Magazine, 23 Sep. 2024
Verb
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Fans especially loved when Samantha would wrinkle her nose and twitch, activating her magic.Angela Andaloro, People.com, 22 Oct. 2024
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Signs that your pup is in their REM phase of sleep include paw twitching, change in breathing, eye flickering, whimpering, barking, body twitching, and tail swishing.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
Verb
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Over the next few years, a plague of disorder will descend upon America, and maybe the world, shaking everything loose.David Brooks, The Mercury News, 9 Nov. 2024
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Maybe that’s why World Cups end with the two teams shaking hands, one offering congratulations and the other condolences, and elections don’t.Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 5 Nov. 2024
Noun
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The remains were found by two men who were running their dogs and looking for rocks, according to DNASolves.CBS News, CBS News, 13 Sep. 2023
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According to LifeLine, the DeKalb shelter takes in 135 dogs a week on average.Jim Gaines, ajc, 13 Sep. 2023
Noun
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Bregman is a pull hitter who benefited from the friendly confines of Minute Maid Park.Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 31 Oct. 2024
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Nearly 57 years after its founding the institution has enough pull to attract fixtures such as the expansive artist Solange Knowles and the inspiring art maven Kimberly Drew.Robyn Mowatt, Essence, 30 Oct. 2024
Verb
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Boeing has been lurching from crisis to crisis since January when the door panel blew off a near-new 737 MAX plane in midair, leading to the departure of Kelly's predecessor, Dave Calhoun.Dan Catchpole and Allison Lampert, USA TODAY, 4 Nov. 2024
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Rather than succumbing to intoxication over the killing of Nasrallah and lurching into a full-scale, devastating regional war against Iran, Israel should take advantage of its current battlefield edge and Hamas’s and Hezbollah’s weakened state.Aluf Benn, Foreign Affairs, 4 Oct. 2024
Verb
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The decision reversed a lower court that said tossing those ballots interfered with the right to vote.Brian Bennett, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024
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Nacua and Dodson scuffled after the whistle and the otherwise mild-mannered receiver was tossed for taking a swing.Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Jerk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerk. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
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