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

• baiter
• harasser
• mocker
• needler
• persecutor
• quiz
• quizzer
• ridiculer
• taunter
• tease
• teaser
• tormentor
• tormenter
• torturer

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

The comedian, 70, responded on stage after hecklers shouted out at him during a stand-up performance Saturday in Melbourne, Australia, according to a video shared by 9News Melbourne. —Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY, 24 June 2024

The heckler yelled to free Palestine during Seinfeld’s set. —Denise Petski, Deadline, 17 June 2024

In video from the event shared by the Australian Jewish Association, Seinfeld was seen roasting the heckler as security escorted him outside. —Zack Sharf, Variety, 17 June 2024

The comedian’s show was briefly disrupted when the heckler yelled about freeing Palestine during Seinfeld’s stand-up gig at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney, as News.com.au reports. —Althea Legaspi, Rolling Stone, 16 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above