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.
He was repeatedly heckled in public, arriving at a memorial to a tidal wave of boos and cries of "You're not welcome".
From BBC
IShowSpeed began his Lagos visit at the bustling Balogun Market in the Lagos Island district, where crowds heckled him and asked for money.
From Barron's
Dingell said it isn’t uncommon for politicians to get heckled on factory floors.
During the meeting councillors were repeatedly heckled, with cries of "shame on you" and "this is no democracy" as the vote went through.
From BBC
Later heckled on his way to his car, he said he felt threatened and depressed.
From Salon
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.
