Jerk Meaning
/ˈd͡ʒɜːk/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
nounA sudden, often uncontrolled movement, especially of the human body.
nounA quick pull on something.
Sentence Examples
He's such a shameless jerk.
Suppose there's some jerk you just can't get on with.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The train started with a violent ____ that spilled coffee on the floor.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The car started moving with a sudden ____, which made all the passengers lean forward in their seats.
Word Origin & History
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”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"A barrel-organ in the street suddenly sprang with a jerk into a jovial tune."
— 1908, G[ilbert] K[eith] Chesterton, The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare, Bristol: J[ames] W[illiams] Arrowsmith, […]; London: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent & Company, →OCLC, page 114:
"Oh, Raymond―don't be such a jerk. Go and get yourself a drink or a tranquilizer or something."
— 1962, George Axelrod, 1:23:39 from the start, in The Manchurian Candidate, spoken by Eleanor Iselin (Angela Lansbury):
"And [Albert Fish] was dizzyingly happy about it, smiled as described the grizzly details of the tortures and the murders, appearing to the detectives and one of the detectives said "he appeared as the Devil himself." I mean this Albert F-, I mean this guy was a real jerk!"
— 2013, Norm Macdonald Live, season 1, episode 3, spoken by Norm Macdonald:
"Girls, hey, what's that you're doing
Girl, girl, what's that you're doing
You got to show me the steps to it
Somehow, gonna learn how to do it
Doing the jerk
Hey, do the jerk
Girl, come on and work
Hey, do the jerk."
— 1964, “The Jerk”, Don Julian (lyrics), performed by The Larks:
"York came to me first, whilst the groom stood at Ginger's head. He drew my head back and fixed the rein so tight that it was almost intolerable; then he went to Ginger, who was impatiently jerking her head up and down against the bit, as was her way now."
— [1877], Anna Sewell, “A Strike for Liberty”, in Black Beauty: […], London: Jarrold and Sons, […], →OCLC, part II, page 106:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The train started with a violent ____ that spilled coffee on the floor.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The car started moving with a sudden ____, which made all the passengers lean forward in their seats.