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

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in twitching

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 Stuttering lines, on the left, jerking up and down, denote the rattle of guns; on the right, the lines are all but flat, as silence descends. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Logan Howlett, got a tear-jerking send-off in James Mangold’s Logan. — Brianna Zigler, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026 Nighttime in the Okefenokee is filled with a wild cacophony — the choruses of pig frogs, hooting owls, crickets and sometimes the deep, nerve-jerking bellowing of bull alligators. — Charles Seabrook, AJC.com, 25 July 2026 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also advises against twisting or jerking the tick. — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 15 July 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 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 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 Avoid jerking the floss or aggressive movements; instead, use smooth, gentle motions. — Sherri Gordon, Health, 12 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for jerking

Verb

Video shows teams of workers yanking ropes to ferry locals who were stranded on an embankment flanked by a flooded river.

— Robert McGreevy, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
An Arkansas State Police trooper was captured on dashcam footage yanking the passenger of a vehicle by his hair and punching him in the face after a high-speed chase that ended in the streets of Blytheville.

— Daniel McFadin, Arkansas Online, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of yanking

Verb

That afternoon, the president, inside the exposition’s ornate Temple of Music, greeted members of the public, shaking hands and warmly inviting them to explore the fair.

— Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
The handcuffs were taken off, and he was allowed to board, shaking with shock.

— Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of shaking

Verb

Why TikTok livestream selling can drive big sales Three forces are pulling sellers toward livestream commerce, and Duplantis’s numbers reflect all of them.

— Ryan Brennan, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026
Wildfire risk is pushing insurers to underwrite hotels based on physical resilience rather than location alone, and carriers are pulling back from some markets entirely.

— Josipa Majic Predin, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of pulling

Verb

Following this concern, 55% of parents said their top concern was their child’s ability to complete multistep tasks such as homework while 45% of parents cited fidgeting.

— Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026
The current boom is driven by Gen Z’s openness about mental health, social-commerce virality on TikTok and Etsy, and a broader nervous-system regulation movement that treats fidgeting as a legitimate coping tool rather than a bad habit.

— Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of fidgeting

Verb

There’s the studio version, which has some really interesting production, with Meg’s shuddering percussion that eventually grates and distracts, and Jack’s very chunky guitar.

— Rebecca Alter, Vulture, 25 Aug. 2026
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

Definition of shuddering

Verb

The United States, which had been lurching toward entry in the Second World War, was suddenly and inescapably thrust into global conflict.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Aug. 2026
Republicans see Democrats lurching to the left and embracing socialism as an opening to link their opponents to the far more radical communism.

— Garrett Downs, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026