# jerk around

CEFR B2 · Phrasal verb

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/jerk-around
Updated: 2026-04-24

## Definition

to treat someone unfairly by being dishonest or by wasting their time.

For teachers: to behave toward someone in a deceptive, evasive, or uncooperative manner, often by providing conflicting information or failing to fulfill commitments.

## Examples

- Stop jerking me around and tell me the truth.
- The company kept jerking him around about the start date, so he eventually took a different job.
- Potential investors often jerk startup founders around for months before finally declining to provide any capital.

## Pitfalls

- Not "He is jerking around me." but "He is jerking me around." — when the object is a pronoun, it must go between the verb and the particle in this phrasal verb.

## Usage notes

- usually takes a person as a direct object; highly informal and often expresses frustration.
- Teaching tip: contrast with 'mess around' or 'lead on'; 'jerk around' specifically implies a power imbalance where one party is being treated with a lack of respect.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.