Meaning of jerk In English

• 0 to make a short sudden movement, or to cause someone or something to do this:

  • The car made a strange noise and then jerked to a halt.

  • "What's wrong?" she asked, jerking her head up.

  • The shock of losing his job jerked him out of his settled lifestyle.

• 1 a quick sudden movement:

  • She pulled the bush out of the ground with a sharp jerk.

  • The alarm went off and he woke up with a jerk.

• 2 a stupid person, usually a man:

  • You stupid jerk! You've just spilled beer all down my new shirt!

• 3 a style of cooking popular in the Caribbean, in which meat is rubbed or marinated (= left covered) in special spices and then cooked, usually on a wood fire:

  • Jamaican home cooking includes jerk chicken and goat curry.

  • When it comes to jerk spices, the key flavours are scotch bonnet peppers, allspice, and thyme.

• 4 to make a short, sudden movement, or to cause someone or something to move in this way:

  • [ T ] She jerked the phone out of his hands.

  • [ I ] The bus jerked to a halt.

• 5 a foolish, annoying person:

  • What a jerk – he parked in my spot!