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
Once the squid gather near the surface, lines fitted with bait are lowered into the water and rapidly jerked up and down to imitate small prey such as shrimp, triggering strikes before the catch is reeled aboard.
—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.
—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.
—
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.
—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
8 May 2026
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.
—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
20 June 2026
Suddenly, the tent jerked and wobbled.
—
Dolores Brown,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
In the summer of 2020, former Morgan Stanley trader Adam Crawley was wandering through Indonesia, Thailand and Australia, perfecting his qigong with a man called Master YanG, when a cold message on LinkedIn jerked him back to reality.
—
Phoebe Liu,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
John jerked Maggie back by the elbow and stopped her from stepping into the street.
—
Literary Hub,
8 May 2026
My empty paper bowl jerked along the belt, stopping under each funnel.
—
Billy Perrigo,
Time,
8 May 2026
The plane jerked to a stop as two trucks passed just feet in front of its nose.
—
Alexandra Skores,
CNN Money,
16 Apr. 2026
We are jerked between past and present as his backstory gets filled in, one jogged memory at a time.
—
Justin Chang,
New Yorker,
13 Mar. 2026
The two stood nose-to-nose on the field when the Steelers player grabbed onto Chase’s facemask, jerked his head and appeared to punch him.
—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
16 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerked
Verb
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For the past couple of years, volunteers have cut grass, trimmed and yanked out invasive vines.
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Roberts quickly gave up a run-scoring single to Christian Yelich and was yanked with the bases loaded and no outs.
Verb
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Many a club’s board would have twitched in the face of the bare data, but the chain of command above Arteta stayed the course, and the FOMO is so high that tickets for Palace away this weekend are going for £45,000 ($60,000) on resale sites.
-
My jaw twitched uncontrollably.
Verb
-
Thousands of fans in Mexico lost their minds and shook the earth.
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Multiple explosions shook central Kyiv and reverberated across the capital throughout the night as thousands of residents rushed to bomb shelters and underground metro stations.
Verb
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Initial data indicates both of these earthquakes were strike-slip, Magnani said, meaning one plate lurched past the other along the boundary.
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Rodney McDonald, who was traveling with his wife and two sons, told ABC News the ordeal began when the aircraft unexpectedly lurched.
Verb
-
The governor, at first, tossed the question to Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper.
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But the referee caught him and tossed him from the match.
Verb
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The way the stadium shuddered with noise.
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At least the elevator still creaked and shuddered, as in the old days, finally trembling open on the eighth floor.
Verb
-
Cape Verde almost pulled the biggest upset in World Cup history.
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Garibay’s one-handed save denied Jonathan Ricketts a sure goal in the 64th minute, and Moon pulled a 30-yard opportunity off a poor corner kick clearance just wide left.
Verb
-
One woman ordered some home furniture while two children fidgeted nearby.
-
Between each dance was an excruciating silence during which network-TV producers monitored and reset their equipment while the men fidgeted onstage like excitable children.
Cite this Entry
“Jerked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/jerked. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.
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