Jerk vs. Jolt — What's the Difference?

To give a sudden quick thrust, push, pull, or twist to.

To move or dislodge with a sudden, hard blow; strike heavily or jarringly

To throw or toss with a quick abrupt motion.

To cause to move jerkily

To utter abruptly or sharply

To put into a specified condition by or as if by a blow

To make and serve (ice-cream sodas, for example) at a soda fountain.

To make suddenly active or effective

(Sports) To press (a weight) overhead from shoulder height in a quick motion.

To disturb suddenly and severely; stun

To move in sudden abrupt motions; jolt

To proceed in an irregular, bumpy, or jerky fashion.

To make spasmodic motions

A sudden jarring or jerking motion, as from a blow.

To cut (meat) into long strips and dry in the sun or cure by exposing to smoke.

A sudden, strong feeling of surprise or disappointment; a shock.

A sudden abrupt motion, such as a yank or twist.

The cause of such a feeling

A jolting or lurching motion.

A brief strong portion

(Physiology) A sudden reflexive or spasmodic muscular movement.

(transitive) To push or shake abruptly and roughly.

Jerks Involuntary convulsive twitching often resulting from excitement. Often used with the.

(transitive) To knock sharply

(Slang) A foolish, rude, or contemptible person.

(transitive) To shock (someone) into taking action or being alert

(Sports) A lift in which the weight is heaved overhead from shoulder height with a quick motion.

(transitive) To shock emotionally.

Being or relating to a method of barbecuing meat that has been seasoned and wrapped in leaves of the allspice tree

(intransitive) To shake; to move with a series of jerks.

A sudden, often uncontrolled movement, especially of the body.

An act of jolting.

A quick, often unpleasant tug or shake.

A surprise or shock.

A person with unlikable or obnoxious qualities and behavior, typically mean, self-centered, or disagreeable.

(slang) A long prison sentence.

A dull or stupid person.

(slang) A narcotic injection.

The rate of change in acceleration with respect to time.

To shake with short, abrupt risings and fallings, as a carriage moving on rough ground; as, the coach jolts.

(obsolete) A soda jerk.

To cause to move with a sudden motion, especially an up and down motion, as in a carriage going over rough ground, or on a high-trotting horse; as, the horse jolts the rider; fast driving jolts the carriage and the passengers.

(weightlifting) A lift in which the weight is taken with a quick motion from shoulder height to a position above the head with arms fully extended and held there for a brief time.

To stun or shock a person physically, as with a blow or electrical shock; as, the earthquake jolted him out of bed.

A rich, spicy Jamaican marinade.

To stun or shock or change the mental state of (a person) suddenly, as if with a blow; as, the sight of the house on fire jolted him into action; his mother's early death jolted his idyllic happiness.

Meat (or sometimes vegetables) cured by jerking, in which it is coated in spices and slow-cooked over a fire or grill traditionally composed of green pimento wood positioned over burning coals; charqui.

A sudden shock or jerk; a jolting motion, as in a carriage moving over rough ground.

(intransitive) To make a sudden uncontrolled movement.

Something which causes a jolt{2}; as, the bad news was a jolt.

(transitive) To give a quick, often unpleasant tug or shake.

A sudden impact;

To masturbate.

An abrupt spasmodic movement

(obsolete) To beat, to hit.

Move or cause to move with a sudden jerky motion

(obsolete) To throw with a quick and suddenly arrested motion of the hand.

Disturb (someone's) composure;

To lift using a jerk.

(obsolete) To flout with contempt.

To cure (meat) by cutting it into strips and drying it, originally in the sun.

To cut into long slices or strips and dry in the sun; as, to jerk beef. See Charqui.

To beat; to strike.

To give a quick and suddenly arrested thrust, push, pull, or twist, to; to yerk; as, to jerk one with the elbow; to jerk a coat off.

To throw with a quick and suddenly arrested motion of the hand; as, to jerk a stone.

To make a sudden motion; to move with a start, or by starts.

To flout with contempt.

A short, sudden pull, thrust, push, twitch, jolt, shake, or similar motion.

A sudden start or spring.

Calisthenic exercises, such as push-ups or deep knee bends; also called physical jerks.

A foolish, stupid, or otherwise contemptible person.

The lifting of a weight, in a single rapid motion, from shoulder height until the arms are outstretched above the head; distinguished from press in that the motion in a jerk is more rapid, and the body may be moved under the weight to assist completion of the movement; as, a clean and jerk of two hundred pounds.

A dull stupid fatuous person

An abrupt spasmodic movement

(mechanics) the rate of change of velocity

A sudden abrupt pull

Pull, or move with a sudden movement;

Move with abrupt, seemingly uncontrolled motions;

Make an uncontrolled, short, jerky motion;

Jump vertically, with legs stiff and back arched;

Throw or toss with a quick motion;