jerked

4 definitions • 7 examples

past simple and past participle of

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

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

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

in weightlifting, to lift the bar quickly, from your shoulders to a position in which the arms are stretched above the head:

You shouldn't use momentum to jerk the weights instead of lifting.

They were jerking weights around and clumsily using their backs to lift.

to suddenly behave differently, usually by understanding something or becoming active again, or to cause someone or something to do this:

jerk someone out of something The shock of losing his job jerked him out of his settled lifestyle.

People didn't appreciate being jerked out of their celebratory mood and brought back to business.

jerk out of Hearing raised voices, he jerked out of his reverie.