Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

heckle

American  
[hek-uhl] / ˈhɛk əl /

verb (used with object)

heckled, heckling

  1. to harass (a public speaker, performer, etc.) with impertinent questions, gibes, or the like; badger.

    Synonyms:
    hound, hector, needle, provoke, bait

  2. hackle.

noun

  1. hackle.

heckle British  
/ ˈhɛkəl /

verb

  1. to interrupt (a public speaker, performer, etc) by comments, questions, or taunts

  2. Also: hackle.   hatchel.  (tr) to comb (hemp or flax)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. an instrument for combing flax or hemp

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • heckler noun

Etymology

Origin of heckle

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English hekelen, variant of hechelen “to comb flax”; akin to hackle 1, hatchel

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Holding up homemade cards as 'Silent Night' played in the background - emulating a scene from the film 'Love Actually' - Hearn expertly avoided being interrupted, despite Eubank Jr's attempts to heckle him.

From BBC • Nov. 13, 2025

“Tiger With Cubs” depicts a tigress nursing her young under pine trees as magpies heckle them.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025

Arizona and Arizona State fans once used the term to heckle him, but the taunts had the opposite of their intended effect.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025

Even back in 2022, when Boebert and Greene presented as a Karen power duo out to heckle President Joe Biden, I was skeptical that their alliance would last long.

From Salon • Jul. 18, 2023

At this point, Perch started to heckle me.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.