as in taunting
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
the players were heckled by disappointed fans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heckling
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Reuters reported that BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who hosted the dinner of some 200 people as co-chair of the World Economic Forum, ended the dinner after the heckling incident — before dessert was served.
—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
Vice President Vance appeared on FOX News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle hours after the heckling incident, telling the host about visiting with the national guardsmen and discussing recent changes to the city, while briefly mentioning the protesters.
—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
As the play died down, a female fan decked out in White Sox gear reportedly began mercilessly heckling the 24-year-old outfielder.
—
Alejandro Avila Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Reaves shouted at heckling fans.
—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Many of the attendees disrupted Percival’s speech, heckling him with jeers and boos.
—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
Many of the attendees disrupted Percival’s speech, heckling him with jeers and boos.
—
Las Vegas Review-Journal,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Some of the sixth graders began heckling.
—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Electronics aside, yelling, heckling and the use of profanity are also direct violations of gallery etiquette and could result in removal from the event.
—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Jeff Probst heckling contestants during challenges.
—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
Adjective
Charles Barkley was once spitting mad at a heckling fan, and his expectoration wound up splashing on an 8-year-old girl.
—
Jon Greenberg,
New York Times,
22 May 2026
Reuters reported that BlackRock CEO Larry Fink, who hosted the dinner of some 200 people as co-chair of the World Economic Forum, ended the dinner after the heckling incident — before dessert was served.
—
Ashleigh Fields,
The Hill,
22 Jan. 2026
Vice President Vance appeared on FOX News Channel’s The Ingraham Angle hours after the heckling incident, telling the host about visiting with the national guardsmen and discussing recent changes to the city, while briefly mentioning the protesters.
—
Jillian Frankel,
People.com,
21 Aug. 2025
Verb
By online standards, though, the wait to bring charges—just a few days—was agonizingly long, and Dhillon complained on X about MAGA supporters heckling her to move faster.
—
Quinta Jurecic,
The Atlantic,
21 May 2026
As the play died down, a female fan decked out in White Sox gear reportedly began mercilessly heckling the 24-year-old outfielder.
—
Alejandro Avila Outkick,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
Reaves shouted at heckling fans.
—
Benjamin Royer,
Oc Register,
13 May 2026
Many of the attendees disrupted Percival’s speech, heckling him with jeers and boos.
—
Editorial,
Boston Herald,
9 May 2026
Many of the attendees disrupted Percival’s speech, heckling him with jeers and boos.
—
Las Vegas Review-Journal,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Some of the sixth graders began heckling.
—
Anna Wiener,
New Yorker,
4 May 2026
Electronics aside, yelling, heckling and the use of profanity are also direct violations of gallery etiquette and could result in removal from the event.
—
Samantha Stutsman,
PEOPLE,
9 Apr. 2026
Jeff Probst heckling contestants during challenges.
—
Kristen Geil,
Outside,
24 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heckling
Adjective
-
To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!
Verb
-
The groove passes between them without ever quite resolving, each jolt followed by a pocket of silence that feels almost taunting.
-
Neither incidents involved taunting players from the opposing team, and both of those techs have reportedly been rescinded.
Adjective
-
Educators were fired for making insensitive comments about him on their personal social-media accounts; a firefighter in Toledo lost his job for posting a derisive eulogy on Facebook; various airline employees were suspended for disparaging Kirk online.
-
But this time, American allies have balked at Trump’s request to send warships to help transport oil through the strait, suggesting there is a limit to how far Europe will go to keep Trump onside in Ukraine and demonstrating the upshot of Trump’s derisive attitude toward alliances.
Verb
-
The pop singer has been teasing her return to music over the past few weeks with cryptic posts on social media featuring various images accompanied locations, dates and times.
-
Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google, took over as chief executive of Relativity a little more than a year ago, teasing new areas of focus such as orbital data centers, philanthropic space science ventures, and national security missions.
Adjective
-
Then, Metric’s peak came on 2009’s Fantasies, which paired needling electronics with thumping drum programming; both it and its follow-up, Synthetica, hit the top 10 on the Canadian albums chart and went platinum in Canada.
-
For power users, this sort of thing can’t help but read as needling, even petty platform quirks.
Cite this Entry
“Heckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heckling. Accessed 28 Jun. 2026.
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