Classical Mythology. the eldest son of Priam and husband of Andromache: the greatest Trojan hero in the Trojan War, killed by Achilles.
(lowercase) a blustering, domineering person; a bully.
a male given name.
< Latin < Greek Héktōr, special use of adj. héktōr holding fast
To hector is to boss around or verbally bully someone. An older brother might hector his little sister until she hands over part of her Halloween candy. When you bombard someone with words, nagging and badgering until you get what you want, you hector. A teacher might feel the need to hector a class that consistently forgets to hand in homework assignments, and a playground bully might hector another child to give him her lunch money. The verb hector comes from the character in Greek mythology — Hector — who rallied the Trojans to keep fighting.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Gilgamesh’s lament is not the stylized keening of epic tradition—not Achilles’ highfalutin howls after Hector strikes down Patroclus—but something rawer, humbler, more recognizably human.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
“The politics have changed dramatically,” said Hector Villagra, vice president of policy advocacy for MALDEF, one of the mask ban’s sponsors.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 4, 2026
The first trial in 2003 saw Hector Dick give evidence against Fraser.
From BBC • Feb. 23, 2026
According to Hector Caruncho, professor of medical sciences at UVic and corresponding author of the study, therapies based on Reelin may offer a new way to address both gut and brain health.
From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026
Hector asks him, drawing curious stares from the nearby patrons.
From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern
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.
