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

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

heck

"The children come through your door and it is amazing - you are on one heck of a rollercoaster."

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026

“Scary as heck, the first time you do it,” Peak said, resting his hands on his knees during the drive with a Wall Street Journal reporter.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026

“That fish is going to come up, and it’s going to bite the heck out of you.”

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

“And I will tell you, when I heard that you were on this podcast, I was like, ‘What the heck?

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Yeah, why the heck not? Lucy, you’re on the payroll. We’re havin’ a company lunch today.

From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen

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