noun
1.
2.
a spasmodic, usually involuntary, muscular movement, as the reflex action of pulling the hand away from a flame.
3.
any sudden, quick movement of the body, as in dodging something.
4.
Slang. a contemptibly naive, fatuous, foolish, or inconsequential person.
5.
(in weightlifting) the raising of a weight from shoulder height to above the head by straightening the arms.
6.
7.
a dance, deriving from the twist, in which the dancers alternately thrust out their pelvises and their shoulders.
8.
the jerks, paroxysms or violent spasmodic muscular movements, as resulting from excitement evoked by some religious services.
verb (used with object)
9.
to pull, twist, move, thrust, or throw with a quick, suddenly arrested motion: She jerked the child by the hand.
10.
to utter in a broken, spasmodic way.
11.
Informal. to prepare, dispense, and serve (sodas, ice cream, etc.) at a soda fountain.
00:10
Jerk
is one of our favorite verbs.
So is hornswoggle. Does it mean:
| to run away hurriedly; flee. |
| to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax. |
verb (used without object)
Verb phrases 12.
to give a jerk or jerks.
13.
to move with a quick, sharp motion; move spasmodically.
14.
to talk in a broken, spasmodic way.
15.
Informal. to work as a soda jerk.
16.
to dance the jerk.
17.
jerk off, Slang: Vulgar. to masturbate.
Origin:
1540–50; 1935–40 for def 4; perhaps dialectal variant of yerk to draw stitches tight (shoemaker's term), thus making the shoe ready to wear, Old English gearcian to prepare, make ready
1540–50; 1935–40 for def 4; perhaps dialectal variant of yerk to draw stitches tight (shoemaker's term), thus making the shoe ready to wear, Old English gearcian to prepare, make ready
Related forms
jerk·er, noun
jerk·ing·ly, adverb
Dictionary.com Unabridged
verb (used with object)
1.
to preserve (meat, especially beef) by cutting in strips and curing by drying in the sun.
adjective
2.
being or containing a spicy seasoning mixture flavored with allspice, used especially in Jamaican cooking: jerk sauce.
3.
prepared with jerk flavorings, especially by barbecuing or grilling: jerk chicken.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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Link To Jerk
Collins
World English Dictionary
jerk1 (dʒɜːk) ![[Click for IPA pronunciation guide]](http://static.sfdict.com/dictstatic/g/d/dictionary_questionbutton_default.gif) | |
| —vb (often foll by out) | |
| 1. | to move or cause to move with an irregular or spasmodic motion |
| 2. | to throw, twist, pull, or push (something) abruptly or spasmodically |
| 3. | to utter (words, sounds, etc) in a spasmodic, abrupt, or breathless manner |
| —n | |
| 4. | an abrupt or spasmodic movement |
| 5. | an irregular jolting motion: the car moved with a jerk |
| 6. | informal (Brit) (plural) Also called: physical jerks physical exercises |
| 7. | (US) (plural) a slang word for chorea |
| 8. | slang chiefly (US), (Canadian) a person regarded with contempt, esp a stupid or ignorant person |
| [C16: probably variant of yerk to pull stitches tight in making a shoe; compare Old English gearcian to make ready] | |
| 'jerker1 | |
| —n | |
| 'jerking1 | |
| —adj, —n | |
| jerk2 (dʒɜːk) | |
| —vb | |
| 1. | to preserve (venison, beef, etc) by cutting into thin strips and curing by drying in the sun |
| —n | |
| 2. | Also called: jerky jerked meat, esp beef |
| [C18: back formation from jerky, from | |
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History
jerk
1550, "to lash, strike as with a whip," of uncertain origin, perhaps echoic. Noun sense of "sudden sharp pull or twist" first recorded 1575. Meaning "involuntary spasmodic movement of limbs or features" first recorded 1805. As the name of a popular dance, it is attested from 1966. Sense in soda jerk
attested from 1883, from the pulling motion required to work the taps.
jerk
1935, "tedious and ineffectual person," Amer.Eng. carnival slang, perhaps from jerkwater town (1878), where a steam locomotive crew had to take on boiler water from a trough or a creek because there was no water tank. This led 1890s to an adj. use of jerk as "inferior, insignificant." Probably also infl.
by verb jerk off, slang for "perform male masturbation" (first recorded 1916). Jerk off (n.) as an emphatic form of jerk (n.) first attested 1968.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary
jerk 1 (jûrk)
v. jerked, jerk·ing, jerks
To make spasmodic motions. n.
A sudden reflexive or spasmodic muscular movement. See deep reflex.
jerks Involuntary convulsive twitching often resulting from excitement. Often used with the.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Slang Dictionary
jerk definition
|
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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