as in clumsy
hastily or roughly constructed
a jerry-rigged switch to keep the machine in operation until it can be repaired
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Recent Examples of jerry-rigged
Ali Al-Ahmed, a dissident Saudi scholar who kept in touch with Sahar, sent me a photograph of an apparatus that the sisters had jerry-rigged to distill fresh water from the sea, and one of a copper hook for catching fish and crabs.
—
Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Content by this author: Doomed From the Start Obamacare is a typically American concoction: a complicated program jerry-rigged to appeal to people with little faith in government.
—Kimberly J. Morgan, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
Putin, by contrast, has jerry-rigged a rogue power while sending hundreds of thousands to their deaths in a war of choice.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024
But arguably the most common and effective drones used by both sides have been simple, cheap devices whose parts are available to any consumer with an Amazon account, and jerry-rigged to carry small bombs or shells.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Jan. 2024
To create a tarmac road surface at model chicken scale the team use crushed walnuts mixed with glue and sand while a motorized device that looks like a toilet roll covered in tin foil has been jerry-rigged to create ripples on water.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 16 Dec. 2023
But the constant hither and yon of Izi abandoning Benji and then coming back gets a little tired over the long haul and feels jerry-rigged to add conflict.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
This will give you a buzz: Amid the current writers and actors strike setting Hollywood ablaze, Jeopardy! has jerry-rigged a way to move forward without its writing staff for season 40.
—Vulture, 7 Aug. 2023
Alternatively, Ukrainian technicians could have jerry-rigged a rudimentary inertial and/or GPS guidance to integrate with the missile’s pre-existing Inertial Measurement Unit tracking the missile’s speed and bearing.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 14 July 2023
Heidi Blake, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2024
Content by this author: Doomed From the Start Obamacare is a typically American concoction: a complicated program jerry-rigged to appeal to people with little faith in government.
—Kimberly J. Morgan, Foreign Affairs, 10 June 2024
Putin, by contrast, has jerry-rigged a rogue power while sending hundreds of thousands to their deaths in a war of choice.
—Stephen Kotkin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Apr. 2024
But arguably the most common and effective drones used by both sides have been simple, cheap devices whose parts are available to any consumer with an Amazon account, and jerry-rigged to carry small bombs or shells.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 20 Jan. 2024
To create a tarmac road surface at model chicken scale the team use crushed walnuts mixed with glue and sand while a motorized device that looks like a toilet roll covered in tin foil has been jerry-rigged to create ripples on water.
—K.j. Yossman, Variety, 16 Dec. 2023
But the constant hither and yon of Izi abandoning Benji and then coming back gets a little tired over the long haul and feels jerry-rigged to add conflict.
—Leslie Felperin, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
This will give you a buzz: Amid the current writers and actors strike setting Hollywood ablaze, Jeopardy! has jerry-rigged a way to move forward without its writing staff for season 40.
—Vulture, 7 Aug. 2023
Alternatively, Ukrainian technicians could have jerry-rigged a rudimentary inertial and/or GPS guidance to integrate with the missile’s pre-existing Inertial Measurement Unit tracking the missile’s speed and bearing.
—Sébastien Roblin, Popular Mechanics, 14 July 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerry-rigged
Adjective
-
Kisses her mouth, but the gesture is awkward, clumsy; their teeth strike together, and Brianna winces.—
Joyce Carol Oates,
The New Yorker,
16 Mar. 2025
-
As well as making a star of Alicia Silverstone, the original movie showcased the talents of Paul Rudd who played her stepbrother Josh (and went onto become Phoebe’s partner in Friends and take on the role of Ant Man) and the late Brittany Murphy, who played Cher’s clumsy friend Tai.—
Lee Sharrock,
Forbes,
15 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Suncor operates the only refinery in Colorado, processing about 98,000 barrels of crude oil per day.—
Noelle Phillips,
The Denver Post,
13 Mar. 2025
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The measures included a ban on seaborne Russian crude oil exports and a price cap of $60 per barrel on Russian oil.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Hard water can also cause clothes to feel rough and scratchy against your skin.—
Timothy Dale,
Better Homes & Gardens,
11 Mar. 2025
-
Sony has also had a bit of a rough time with the PS5 Pro, a device which has had at least some measure of technical problems where at times, its upgrades are failing to impress or even on occasion, making some games look worse.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
11 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
The move garnered mixed reactions, with many calling out Brown for his rude tone and choice of words.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
18 Mar. 2025
-
Shift The Focus To Collaboration Sometimes, rude colleagues act out of insecurity or stress.—
Cheryl Robinson,
Forbes,
17 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Fischer argues that Trump’s desire to end the war quickly suggests the US may not only be at risk of reaching a flawed deal in haste, but may actually be willing to settle for something that doesn’t offer long-term solutions.—
Clare Sebastian,
CNN,
14 Mar. 2025
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She was also drawn to Mickey’s flawed character, which was particularly appealing from an actor's perspective.—
Carly Tagen-Dye,
People.com,
14 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to jerry-rigged
Cite this Entry
“Jerry-rigged.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerry-rigged. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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