verb
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to interrupt (a public speaker, performer, etc) by comments, questions, or taunts
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Also: hackle. hatchel. (tr) to comb (hemp or flax)
noun
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.
Later heckled on his way to his car, he said he felt threatened and depressed.
From Salon
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
The tourists were subject to the occasional heckle from the home supporters.
From BBC
“Tiger With Cubs” depicts a tigress nursing her young under pine trees as magpies heckle them.
And earlier this week, the King was heckled about the matter.
From BBC
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.
