heck

¹ American  

[hek] / hɛk /

interjection

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

   What the heck do you care?

---

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.

---

heck ¹ British  

/ hɛk /

interjection

1. a mild exclamation of surprise, irritation, etc

---

heck ² British  

/ hɛk /

noun

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

---

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

“All my friends in Tokyo are like, why the heck are you buying that piece of crap?” said Kurosawa.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026

The 1% fee is worth it if you are getting a heck of a lot more than financial management: tax-advice services, plus regular communication on short- and long-term strategy.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 24, 2026

Still, once you realize what the heck it is you’re watching, you might just settle in for a more diverting — or less terrible — time than first expected.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

With a $3-million prize pool, this weekend's Ubisoft-organised invitational event in Paris for top teams is "a heck of a signal" that "shows we're capable of packing the Adidas Arena," Deniele said.

From Barron's • Feb. 13, 2026

“You learned some new stuff about your mom and sister? And what the heck does Carousel Carl have to do with anything?”

From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone