I. ˈjərk, -ə̄k, -əik verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: probably alter of yerk
transitive verb
1. obsolete : to strike with or as if with a whip
2. : to give a quick and suddenly arrested thrust, push, pull, or twist to
jerk a rope
jerk a coat off
jerk out a pistol
3. : to throw with a quick motion suddenly arrested
jerk money on a table
specifically : to bowl (a cricket ball) illegally (as by bending the arm)
4. : to utter in an abrupt, snappy, or sharply broken manner
jerk out words
5. : to prepare and dispense (sodas)
intransitive verb
1. : to make a sudden spasmodic motion or series of such motions : move with a start or starts
fish jerking and tumbling on the deck of a boat
2. : to move in short abrupt motions
a cripple jerking along a street
: move along with frequent jolts
a train jerking past a station
3. : to throw an object with a jerk ; specifically : to jerk the ball in bowling in the game of cricket
4. obsolete : sneer
Synonyms:
snap , twitch , yank : jerk indicates sudden, sharp, quick, graceless, forceful movement begun or ended abruptly
thought the train would never start, but at last the whistle blew and the carriages jerked forward — G.G.Carter
jerked her head back as if she'd been struck in her face — Dorothy Baker
snap may apply to a quite quick action abruptly terminated, as biting or trying to bite sharply or seizing, clutching, snatching, locking, or breaking suddenly
the hounds were fine beasts … land and swift as they bent over the food to snap it into their jaws and swallow it quickly — Elizabeth M. Roberts
the syndicate snapping up land as soon as it is for sale
snapped at her because Theophilus did not eat enough — Margaret Deland
twitch may indicate quick, sometimes spasmodic, and often light action combining tugging and jerking
shrunken body continued to jerk and quiver, fingers twitching at his gray beard — Gerald Beaumont
one Pan ready to twitch the nymph's last garment off — Robert Browning
put out his hand to twitch off a twig as he passed — Willa Cather
yank indicates quick and heavy tugging and pulling
watches her two-year-old stand passive while another child yanks his toy out of his hand — Margaret Mead
she yanked the corset strings viciously — D.B.Chidsey
by means of long blocks and tackle they set to yanking out logs — S.E.White
II. noun
( -s )
Usage: often attributive
1. obsolete : a stroke especially of a whip : lash
2. : a single quick motion usually of short duration and length (as a suddenly arrested pull, thrust, push, or jolt)
get up with a jerk
3.
a. : jolting, bouncing, or thrusting motions
a rustic dance full of jerk and rhythm
b. : tendency to produce spasmodic motions
a car with little jerk and noise
4.
a. : an involuntary spasmodic muscular movement due to reflex action ; especially : one induced by an external stimulus — see knee jerk
b. jerks plural
(1) : chorea
(2) : involuntary twitchings due to nervous excitement (as in the dancing mania and sometimes in religious revivals)
5.
[probably from jerk “masturbator”, from jerk ( off )]
: a stupid, foolish, naïve, or unconventional person
these jerks … who didn't know anything outside their rank and serial number — J.G.Cozzens
soapbox orators who … vary from philosophers to out-and-out jerks — Richard Joseph
6. : the pushing of a weight from shoulder height to a position overhead : the second phase of the clean and jerk in weight lifting
III. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
Etymology: back-formation from jerky (III)
: to cut into long slices or strips and dry in the sun
jerk beef
— see charqui