JERKING Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

jerking

verb

present participle of jerk

as in yanking

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

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as in twitching

to make jerky or restless movements you've got to quit jerking, or the barber will nick you by accident

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in shaking

to make a series of small irregular or violent movements the car jerked with every shift of the gear

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of jerking Tony Fauci was not just jerking the country around. — David Blumenthal, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026 Pull the tick out gently, without jerking or ripping. — Charlotte Observer, 30 Apr. 2026 Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions. — Sherri Gordon, Health, 12 May 2026 Some were petty — like Reese committing a foul against Clark, then jerking her head back, impersonating Clark as a flopper. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 27 June 2026 The clip on TikTok shows the seat jerking abruptly, apparently from forceful pushes by the person seated behind her. — Kelly McGreal, FOXNews.com, 13 Mar. 2026 During their first night together, just for an instant, Nikki appears to glitch, jerking back mid-kiss and looking at him with blind panic instead of undying affection. — Alex Barasch, New Yorker, 11 May 2026 Although not all the novel’s major characters make it to the end of this uplifting yet tear-jerking work of historical fiction, Six-Thirty safely perseveres. — Camille Perri, PEOPLE, 10 June 2026 Watching their relationship devolve (never more so than when their sperm donor, a rakish, motorcycle-driving restaurant owner played by Mark Ruffalo, enters the scene) is most definitely a tear-jerking experience, as is the film’s final scene. — Liam Hess, Vogue, 28 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerking

Verb

Now, with the federal and state government yanking back plenty of that funding and directly barring the city from enacting some of its more aggressive climate plans, Higgins is left with a narrow road to tread toward progress.

— Alex Harris, Miami Herald, 1 July 2026
The virtual oar-yanking celebration in a baseball atmosphere was one of those weird juxtapositions that seem to get fostered whenever a World Cup fanbase descends upon a host city.

— Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of yanking

Verb

There is something cultish about that idea — the player who tends not to start but has the knack to appear later on with antennae twitching, ready to seize the day and alter the course of a match.

— Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 21 June 2026
Leon Stetson was allegedly twitching, so officers moved him away from Carrie Stetson and started to render medical aid.

— Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 12 June 2026

Definition of twitching

Verb

This tournament has built credibility by showcasing teams competing at a high level, then shaking hands afterward.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026
An earth-shaking roar The World Cup finally arrived in Kansas City after several years of preparation and anticipation.

— Dominick Williams, Kansas City Star, 3 July 2026

Definition of shaking

Verb

And often, data centers are pulling from municipal water supplies, Anisfeld said.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 5 July 2026
Haaland’s winning goal came after another bout of yanking and pulling; the striker tried to free himself by slapping the defender’s arm away, eventually just carrying on regardless.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 5 July 2026

Definition of pulling

Verb

In addition to having lofty themes, this is also a fairly rousing adventure with enough visual panache to keep any kid from fidgeting in his seat.

— Pete Hammond, Deadline, 23 June 2026
Pekara said hospital surveillance footage captured him fidgeting under the blanket.

— Caroline Kubzansky, Chicago Tribune, 30 Apr. 2026

Definition of fidgeting

Verb

These seemingly innocuous incidents attain new significance as they’re revisited alongside a slow crescendo that suddenly turns to shuddering piano chords on the track’s bridge.

— Nick Ayres DeMasi, Pitchfork, 1 July 2026
Choose Baits with Vibration Lipless crankbaits earn their keep each spring, as their shuddering motion creates the bait-mimicking tremors to which bass respond.

— David A. Brown, Outdoor Life, 1 July 2026

Definition of shuddering

Verb

The same boom-and-bust dependency on the oil industry, whose profits were now funnelled through the regime and its allies, kept the country lurching from one crisis to the next.

— Armando Ledezma, New Yorker, 30 June 2026
The old guard of the Democratic Party suffered another body blow when three socialist congressional candidates in New York with anti-Israel platforms swept to victory, lurching the party even further to the left.

— Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald, 25 June 2026