Hector
noun
the eldest son of Priam and husband of Andromache: the greatest Trojan hero in the Trojan War, killed by Achilles.
Hector
American
[hek-ter]
/ ˈhɛk tər /
noun
-
Classical Mythology. the eldest son of Priam and husband of Andromache: the greatest Trojan hero in the Trojan War, killed by Achilles.
-
(lowercase) a blustering, domineering person; a bully.
-
a male given name.
verb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
hector
1
British
/ ˈhɛktə /
verb
noun
Hector
2
British
/ ˈhɛktə /
noun
Hector
Cultural
Etymology
Origin of Hector
< Latin < Greek Héktōr, special use of adj. héktōr holding fast
Explanation
To hector is to boss around or verbally bully someone. An older brother might hector his little sister until she hands over part of her Halloween candy. When you bombard someone with words, nagging and badgering until you get what you want, you hector. A teacher might feel the need to hector a class that consistently forgets to hand in homework assignments, and a playground bully might hector another child to give him her lunch money. The verb hector comes from the character in Greek mythology — Hector — who rallied the Trojans to keep fighting.
Vocabulary lists containing hector
"The Odyssey" by Homer, Books 19–24
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The Boys in the Boat
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Bartleby the Scrivener
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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.
See Examples For:
Louis Vuitton named Tiffany & Co. executive Hector Muelas to the newly created position of chief brand creative officer.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026
Sutherland-born landowner, Gen Sir Hector Munro of Novar, had the folly built and paid for it with prize money and pensions he earned serving with the British Army in India.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
"Instead of water, oil comes out," said retired military officer Hector Valero Balestrini, gesturing toward a hillside where crude oozes naturally from the ground.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
“I’ve talked to many people, and they said that Hector is the best around,” Atharv Patil, a first-year USC computer science master’s student, said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
“She heard me tell her brother. She knows she is to pay Hector and her rent.”
From "Lupita Mañana" by Patricia Beatty
He couldn’t simply hector away the constraints of a courtroom and the clear language of the law.
From Seattle Times ● May 31, 2024
But the plays don’t hector or propound moral lessons.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 6, 2022
I do not want to nag or hector.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2021
Even the pyramids in Egypt, impressive as they are, seem to hector us across the ages, with Ozymandian futility.
From Washington Post ● Jul. 4, 2020
P-49 continued to hector me the rest of the day.
From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
