1
as in yanked
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in twitched
to make jerky or restless movements
you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in shook
to make a series of small irregular or violent movements
the car jerked with every shift of the gear
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of jerked
The president starts out by making a visit to Liberty Arena to play basketball with some school children, then gets jerked away when the crisis happens.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
If Hall jerked too violently, let alone tried to run, the wire would pull the trigger, firing the shotgun Kiritsis had pointed at the back of Hall’s head.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 2 Sep. 2025
If Hall jerked too violently, let alone tried to run, the wire would pull the trigger, firing the shotgun Kiritsis had pointed at the back of Hall’s head.
—Katie Rife, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerked
Verb
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Until George Springer yanked a 450-foot fly to the left-field bleachers, the lineup was ostensibly silent.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
10 Sep. 2025
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The same words apply to the title character at the film‘s center, the inscrutable and seemingly unscrupulous Hedda Gabler (a magnetic Tessa Thompson), here yanked firmly from the late 20th century setting of Henrik Ibsen’s iconic play into the ’50s, and not missing a single trick along the way.—
Kate Erbland,
IndieWire,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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My hand twitched toward the phone, muscle memory stronger than willpower.—
Maggie Downs,
Oc Register,
9 Sep. 2025
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The mechanism for raising and lowering the pen made a weak clunking sound and barely twitched.—
Stephen Cass,
IEEE Spectrum,
27 June 2025
Verb
-
After a while, the lady shook her head.—
Bryan Washington,
New Yorker,
7 Sep. 2025
-
The earthquake shook at a depth of just 4 miles, with its epicenter about 6 miles south-southeast of Pinnacles.—
CA Earthquake Bot,
Sacbee.com,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Stripped of a reliable majority, Macron's governments have lurched from one showdown to the next.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
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As bystanders watched, the luxury yacht lurched to one side, tilting dangerously before taking on water.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
This concern has been tossed around (and tossed aside) for years.—
U T Readers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
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The swells rocked the boat violently, sent wave after wave over the stern, threw us sideways, and nearly tossed all of us into the ocean again and again.—
Martin Suarez,
Rolling Stone,
13 Sep. 2025
Verb
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For much of last season, Atletico appeared set to seriously compete on all fronts, but their season shuddered to a stop in March with a series of disappointing defeats by Barcelona and Madrid across La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League.—
Dermot Corrigan,
New York Times,
15 Aug. 2025
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The van shuddered, shifted gear.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
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They were pulled from the Red Barn, a local landmark dating to the early 1900s in this small community southwest of the Keweenaw Peninsula.—
Eric D. Lawrence,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
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Advertisement Advertisement Season 3 was the series’ most volatile yet, with every storyline pulled taut to the breaking point.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The agents pushed him against a metal fence, put his hands behind his back and twisted his arm, according to the lawsuit.—
Erin Mansfield,
USA Today,
11 Sep. 2025
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Soon, you’re forced to become an even more ruthless killing machine by delivering multiple A-grade performances, before your arm’s twisted behind your back to deliver a solitary S-grade.—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerked. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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