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 speech was met with interruptions from hecklers, prompting Kennedy to remain composed and even express gratitude for the lessons learned from such interactions. —Amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 Apr. 2025

Loading your audio article Malik Beasley heard the hecklers. —Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2025

Videos of hecklers yelling at Edwards have racked up over 1 million views in just days. —Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025

Moments after the words left the heckler’s lips, the top Red Sox prospect smashed a missile of a home run well over 400 feet to right field. —Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above