1
as in bastards
a person whose behavior is offensive to others
his constant rudeness and insensitivity made everyone think he was a real jerk
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tugs
the act or an instance of applying force on something so that it moves in the direction of the force
guided the rowboat with a jerk of the rope
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in yanks
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
2
as in twitches
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 shakes
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 jerks
Zoë Sessums, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Life is too short to work with jerks.
—Shayne Fitz-Coy, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Needless to say, all these vain, privileged, self-promoting jerks are soon going to make CW’s acquaintance, then regret it — even as vengeful Madison zeroes in on that lady’s whereabouts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
Noun
The mechanism feels smooth and sturdy—no awkward jerks or wobbles.
—Zoë Sessums, Architectural Digest, 4 Sep. 2025
Life is too short to work with jerks.
—Shayne Fitz-Coy, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2025
Needless to say, all these vain, privileged, self-promoting jerks are soon going to make CW’s acquaintance, then regret it — even as vengeful Madison zeroes in on that lady’s whereabouts.
—Dennis Harvey, Variety, 7 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerks
Noun
-
Kavya tugs on my arm, her nose is scrunched up, eyebrows discombobulated.—
Navdeep Singh Dhillon,
Parents,
21 Aug. 2025
-
Images from Japanese public broadcaster NHK showed tugs spraying water on the front of the New Orleans.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Thing rebels against his master and yanks out his clockwork heart.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
4 Sep. 2025
-
After deciding to take his family to a tourist town for some fun in the sun, a minor encounter with local bullies yanks the family into the crosshairs of an unhinged, blood-thirsty crime boss (Sharon Stone), who is determined to derail his relaxation.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Some devices, for example, track eye movements or other small muscle twitches to let users select words from a screen.—
Emma R. Hasson,
Scientific American,
14 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Bear swims to the exit, and shakes off his wet fur.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Uranus’ retrograde in your zone of foundations and roots shakes you to your core!—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Strangely, all the clowns with Ukraine flags 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 🇺🇦 in their bio are also all silent on this one.—
Amanda Castro
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
-
The sheriff threatens to arrest Morticia on account of aiding and abetting a murderer, but Gomez points out that these clowns (the cops) abandoned Nevermore to protect Normies at Pilgrim World.—
Jessica M. Goldstein,
Vulture,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
While club masseurs and physios were kept busy dealing with his team-mates’ pulls and strains, Salah’s only demands were around preparation and ensuring his body was ready for whatever Klopp had to throw at him the following day.—
Sarah Shephard,
New York Times,
20 Aug. 2025
-
The first-team All-County linebacker in ’24 led the Lancers in flag pulls, grabbed eight interceptions, and still caught 20 TDs.—
Dan Albano,
Oc Register,
16 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
That film begins with charismatic bank robber Ryan Gosling in a thrilling motorcycle escape from the cops, and moves through several twists and turns, lurches forward in time, and holds Gosling at its heart as a man doing bad things for good reasons.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
One of her dogs was killed alongside her, the spokesperson said, while the other ran away.—
Jillian Frankel,
PEOPLE,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Both dogs were emaciated, and shelter staff believed Maggie had been used as a breeding dog before being abandoned with her litter.—
Alice Gibbs,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Jerks.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerks. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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