jerky

1
[ jur-kee ]
See synonyms for jerky on Thesaurus.com
adjective,jerk·i·er, jerk·i·est.
  1. characterized by jerks or sudden starts; spasmodic.

  2. Slang. silly; foolish; stupid; ridiculous.

Origin of jerky

1
First recorded in1855–60; jerk1 + -y1

Other words from jerky

  • jerk·i·ly, adverb
  • jerk·i·ness, noun

Other definitions for jerky (2 of 2)

jerky2
[ jur-kee ]

noun
  1. meat, especially beef, that has been cut in strips and preserved by drying in the sun; jerked meat.

Origin of jerky

2
1840–50, Americanism; alteration of charqui

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use jerky in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for jerky (1 of 2)

jerky1

/ (ˈdʒɜːkɪ) /


adjectivejerkier or jerkiest
  1. characterized by jerks; spasmodic

Derived forms of jerky

  • jerkily, adverb
  • jerkiness, noun

British Dictionary definitions for jerky (2 of 2)

jerky2

/ (ˈdʒɜːkɪ) /


noun
  1. another word for jerk 2 (def. 2)

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