heckle

verb

heck·​le ˈhe-kəl 

heckled; heckling ˈhe-k(ə-)liŋ 

transitive verb

: to harass and try to disconcert with questions, challenges, or gibes : badger

Synonyms

• bait
• hassle
• haze
• needle
• ride
• taunt
• tease

Choose the Right Synonym for heckle

bait, badger, heckle, hector, chivy, hound mean to harass by efforts to break down.

bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

Examples of heckle in a Sentence

Several protesters were heckling the speaker at the rally.

The players were being heckled by the fans.

People in the crowd were booing and heckling as she tried to speak.

Recent Examples on the Web

About a minute into Starmer’s speech in Manchester, a brown-haired young woman a few rows behind me stood up and heckled him. —Sam Knight, The New Yorker, 29 June 2024

Justices asked why the Capitol riot was more serious than temporarily interrupting a trial by shouting, heckling the president at the State of the Union speech or interrupting a congressional vote by pulling a fire alarm. —Bart Jansen, USA TODAY, 28 June 2024

As Trump rebuked Biden’s claim, people in the crowd began to heckle and laugh at Trump's remarks. —The Arizona Republic, 27 June 2024

With the Angels already up 4-0 after the second inning that day, some fans decided to heckle Rodón, who signed a six-year, $162 million contract with the Yankees two offseasons ago. —Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 31 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hekelen to dress flax, scratch, from heckele hackle; akin to Old High German hāko hook — more at hook

First Known Use

circa 1825, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

heckle

verb

heck·​le ˈhek-əl 

heckled; heckling -(ə-)liŋ 

: to interrupt with questions or comments usually with the intention of annoying or hindering

were heckling the speaker

heckler

-(ə-)lər 

noun