heckler

noun

heck·​ler ˈhe-k(ə-)lər How to pronounce heckler (audio)
plural hecklers
: one who heckles someone (such as a performer or speaker) usually by shouting criticisms or insults
Instead of ignoring the trash talking, [Joey] Votto decided to play with the hecklers. "I remember when you used to be good," one fan shouted out. "I remember when you used to be thin," Votto fired back.Jimmy Traina
As is usual with us, we can't remember any of the jokes well enough to tell them—only one reply made by a comedian, Professor Irwin Corey, to a heckler. "When your I.Q. reaches twenty-eight," Corey told the man, "sell!"The New Yorker

Examples of heckler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Biden was interrupted about a dozen times by pro-Palestinian hecklers protesting his support of Israel's war in Gaza. John Bacon, USA TODAY, 22 Feb. 2024 Outside Federal District Court in Washington, Mr. Navarro, surrounded by reporters and cameras on an unseasonably warm day, was immediately drowned out by hecklers blowing whistles and jostling with his lawyers for space behind him to brandish signs. Zach Montague, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2024 The epithet had reportedly been shouted at Kissinger by hecklers the year before, during the disengagement negotiations with Syria, in an apparent parroting of Richard Nixon, who was said to have denigrated him in this way. Kissinger, joined by Rabin, winced and ducked back inside. Jordan Castro, Harper's Magazine, 9 Jan. 2024 When Sandler's character Happy Gilmore starts to crack under the pressure of a persistent heckler and the Gilmore-Barker duo slips to the bottom of the standings, Barker's trademark affability crumbles. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 26 Aug. 2023 The crowds themselves have been peaceful though there usually has been at least one heckler who has to be removed by the police. USA TODAY, 6 Feb. 2024 The All-American point guard was in good form early on Saturday, not letting early hecklers at the Prudential Center bother him after coming out about a hour before the game for warmups. Ben Steele, Journal Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2024 Dorothy Thompson, the first American journalist to be expelled from Nazi Germany in 1934, sounded the alarm early, and was on hand at Madison Square Garden as a heckler, as thousands more protested outside. Chris Vognar, Rolling Stone, 23 Jan. 2024 The former president was not the only 2024 candidate who faced a heckler on Sunday. Emily Jacobs, Washington Examiner, 14 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'heckler.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of heckler was in 1824

Dictionary Entries Near heckler

Cite this Entry

“Heckler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heckler. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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