jerk

CEFRB2

/ˈd͡ʒɜːk/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A dull stupid fatuous person.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A person with unlikable or obnoxious qualities and behavior, typically mean, immoral, self-centered, or disagreeable.

Examples

  • Suppose there's some jerk you just can't get on with.

  • He's such a shameless jerk.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A quick pull on something.

  2. A sudden, often uncontrolled movement, especially of the human body.

  3. A lift in which the weight is taken with a quick motion from shoulder height to a position above the head with arms fully extended and held there for a brief time.

More examples

In context

  • I finally fired him, because he was being a real jerk to his customers, even to some of the staff.

  • When I yell "OK," give the mooring line a good jerk!

  • 1856, Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, Part III Chapter X, translated by Eleanor Marx-Aveling The black cloth bestrewn with white beads blew up from time to time, laying bare the coffin. The tired bearers walked more slowly, and it advanced with constant jerk...

Synonyms

Quick test

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The train started with a violent blank that spilled coffee on the floor.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Probably from Middle English yerk (“sudden motion”) and Middle English yerkid (“tightly pulled”), from Old English ġearc (“ready, active, quick”) and Old English ġearcian (“to prepare, make ready, procure, furnish, supply”). Cognate with Scots yerk (“to jerk”). Related also to English yare (“ready”).