heckler

noun

heck·​ler ˈhe-k(ə-)lər 

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

Synonyms

• harasser
• tease
• tormenter
• torturer
• mocker
• tormentor
• attacker

Examples of heckler in a Sentence

avoided the hecklers who hung out on the street corner making threatening remarks to passersby

Recent Examples on the Web

During the tournament against the Maxi players, Eminem appears as Donald Jr., the son of the heckler played by the late Joe Flaherty in the original movie. —Jordana Comiter, People.com, 28 July 2025

Eminem, Post Malone and Kid Cudi The rappers all have small but memorable roles in the new film: Eminem, as a bearded heckler named Donald Jr.; Malone, as outlandish golf commentator DJ Omar Gosh; and Cudi, as an FBI agent who apprehends Stiller’s character at the end of the movie. —Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 26 July 2025

Healey made her earlier comments in response to a pro-Palestinian heckler who accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. —Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 19 July 2025

Unfortunately for him, the alligators are back in this film, too, and Happy gets the last laugh when the beasts kill Eminem's heckler on the course. —Lauren Huff Published, EW.com, 25 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above