heck

¹ American  

[hek] / hɛk /

interjection

1. (used as a mild expression of annoyance, rejection, disgust, etc.).

   What the heck do you care?

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noun

1. something remarkable of its kind (usually used in the phraseheck of a ).

   That was a heck of an impressive speech. Have one heck of a good time.

idioms

1. as heck (used as a mild intensifier).

   I say he's guilty as heck.

heck ² American  

[hek] / hɛk /

noun

1. a comblike attachment on a loom, for guiding the warp threads as they are dressed for the warp beam.

2. a device that guides yarn onto the bobbin of a spinning wheel.

3. a gridlike arrangement of glass or metal rods below the hooks on a Jacquard loom, used for lifting all harness eyes equally or evenly.

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heck ¹ British  

/ hɛk /

interjection

1. a mild exclamation of surprise, irritation, etc

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heck ² British  

/ hɛk /

noun

1. dialect a frame for obstructing the passage of fish in a river

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Etymology

Origin of heck¹

First recorded in 1850–55; euphemistic alteration of hell

Origin of heck²

1300–50; Middle English hekke, Old English hecc, variant of hæcc hatch ²

Example Sentences

“If someone asked me that I’d have said, ‘What the heck are you talking about?’

From The Wall Street Journal • May 21, 2026

Who the heck knows, but it’s also besides the point.

From Barron's • May 21, 2026

Meanwhile, Sebastian Stan has been steadily building an eclectic, challenging resume with movies like “A Different Man,” “The Apprentice,” “Fresh,” heck, even “Pam & Tommy.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 11, 2026

"I was like 'what the heck is this?'. I opened the box, and went 'oh!', and I immediately threw it away."

From BBC • May 10, 2026

“What the heck kind of history are they teaching you in school, then?”

From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day