heckle

[ hek-uhl ]

/ ˈhɛk əl /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: heckle / heckling / heckler on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), heck·led, heck·ling.

to harass (a public speaker, performer, etc.) with impertinent questions, gibes, or the like; badger.

hackle¹ (def. 7).

noun

hackle¹ (def. 5).

OTHER WORDS FOR heckle

1 bait, provoke, needle, hector, hound.

See synonyms for heckle on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of heckle

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English hekelen, variant of hechelen “to comb flax”; akin to hackle¹, hatchel

OTHER WORDS FROM heckle

heck·ler, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use heckle in a sentence

In Washington, Always-Trumpers who planned to encircle the Capitol were awash in positive emotions, despite heckles from people passing by.
It began on a gold escalator. It may have ended at Four Seasons Total Landscaping.|Dan Zak, Karen Heller|November 8, 2020|Washington Post
I was just reading the news about Shia LaBeouf drunkenly heckling actors during a Broadway play.
Mark Ruffalo Blasts Iraq’s GOP Warmongers, Talks ‘Begin Again’ and ‘Avengers’|Marlow Stern|June 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Tokyo Police Department are investigating whether there is any connection to the egg assault and his heckling.
How Sexism Could Bring Down Japan’s Government|Angela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein|June 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They did wrong, and whether you call that wrong "heckling" or something else does not alter its wrongness.
The Newtown Heckling Controversy|David Frum|January 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST

Second - (This was a reaction to the parsing of the word "heckling") And this - well that one is self-explanatory.
The Newtown Heckling Controversy|David Frum|January 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
"Heckling" was not the exact word to describe what happened in this case, and I made a mistake in repeating it.
The Newtown Heckling Controversy|David Frum|January 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
She, who brooked day-long heckling without retort, must now be answered without evasion.
The Code of the Mountains|Charles Neville Buck
The Council went on heckling Sonier and he resigned and went to Lausanne.
The Spell of Switzerland|Nathan Haskell Dole
It was also—for Nan was something of a bully—the heckling of Gerda.
Dangerous Ages|Rose Macaulay
The operation of heckling is simple in principle, although it requires much experience to acquire dexterity.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure
Beating flax either after it is completely heckled, or between the first and second heckling, is practised in Bohemia and Silesia.
A Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures and Mines|Andrew Ure

British Dictionary definitions for heckle

heckle

/ (ˈhɛkəl) /

verb

to interrupt (a public speaker, performer, etc) by comments, questions, or taunts

Also: hackle, hatchel (tr) to comb (hemp or flax)

noun

an instrument for combing flax or hemp

Derived forms of heckle

heckler, noun

Word Origin for heckle

C15: Northern and East Anglian form of hackle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

heckle

OTHER WORDS FOR heckle

Origin of heckle

OTHER WORDS FROM heckle

Words related to heckle

How to use heckle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for heckle

Derived forms of heckle

Word Origin for heckle