jerky

1 of 2

adjective

jerkier; jerkiest
1
a
: moving along with or marked by fits and starts
b
: characterized by abrupt transitions
2
jerkily adverb
jerkiness noun

jerky

2 of 2

noun

jer·​ky ˈjər-kē How to pronounce jerky (audio)
: jerked meat

Examples of jerky in a Sentence

Adjective The movie was jerky and hard to watch. made jerky progress walking with the new crutches
Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Adjective
Since many thefts can be violent or involve sudden, jerky movements, Guo sought ad vice from Google’s Activity Recognition team, which worked on a somewhat similar feature available on Pixel smartphones for car crash detection. Reece Rogers, WIRED, 25 Jan. 2025 The video was mostly crisp, but movement was sometimes a bit jerky, and fast-moving subjects can get blurry. Simon Hill, WIRED, 3 Jan. 2025
Noun
Everyone knows a skier who prides themselves on skiing through lunch, only to fuel up on pocket jerky and maybe a PBR on the lift. Lizzy Rosenberg, Outside Online, 19 Jan. 2025 Tie-ins like Johnnie Walker's whisky or Jack Link's jerky must balance the show's dark critique of exploitation with authenticity. Stephanie Gravalese, Forbes, 15 Jan. 2025 See all Example Sentences for jerky 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

jerk entry 2 + -y entry 1

Noun

borrowed from American Spanish charqui (borrowed from southern Peruvian Quechua ch'arki), conformed to jerk entry 4 and earlier jerked

First Known Use

Adjective

1670, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1850, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of jerky was in 1670

Dictionary Entries Near jerky

Cite this Entry

“Jerky.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/jerky. Accessed 8 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

jerky

1 of 2 noun
jer·​ky
ˈjər-kē
: jerked meat

jerky

2 of 2 adjective
ˈjər-kē
jerkier; jerkiest
1
: marked by jerks
a jerky ride on a dirt road
2
jerkily
-kə-lē
adverb
jerkiness
-kē-nəs
noun
Etymology

Noun

from Spanish charqui "jerky," from Quechua ch'arki

Adjective

jerk (noun) and -y (adjective suffix)

More from Merriam-Webster on jerky

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