as in taunting
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
the players were heckled by disappointed fans
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of heckling
Jillian Frankel, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Peter Wilkinson, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Actress and comedian Heather McMahan stepped down as emcee for the Ryder Cup after she was heard heckling and cursing at golfers during the championship game over the weekend.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
The Bethpage crowd had been brutal, heckling players throughout the weekend.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
In April, a Cleveland Guardians fan was ejected after heckling Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, who had just recently opened up about a past suicide attempt.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
The audience was heckling Flood throughout his answer, then erupted in a crescendo of boos at his conclusion.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Aug. 2025
China’s extreme sports fan culture, which can include fan mobs, cyberbullying of athletes and heckling behavior at sports events, was especially visible around the Paris Olympics last year.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 3 Aug. 2025
Verb
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
Adjective
Also at the vigil, British Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy vowed to never stop fighting terrorism amid heckling from the crowd.
—Peter Wilkinson, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Actress and comedian Heather McMahan stepped down as emcee for the Ryder Cup after she was heard heckling and cursing at golfers during the championship game over the weekend.
—Brittney Melton, NPR, 29 Sep. 2025
The Bethpage crowd had been brutal, heckling players throughout the weekend.
—Devlina Sarkar, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Sep. 2025
In April, a Cleveland Guardians fan was ejected after heckling Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, who had just recently opened up about a past suicide attempt.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 18 Aug. 2025
The audience was heckling Flood throughout his answer, then erupted in a crescendo of boos at his conclusion.
—Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 5 Aug. 2025
China’s extreme sports fan culture, which can include fan mobs, cyberbullying of athletes and heckling behavior at sports events, was especially visible around the Paris Olympics last year.
—Peter Guo, NBC news, 3 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for heckling
Verb
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The ladies began going back and forth, taunting one another with ghost writer claims and star power.—
DeMicia Inman,
VIBE.com,
3 Oct. 2025
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Taylor knows that even after all this battle, Olivia still loves her idol’s music — taunting her with her complicated devotion.—
Zach Schiffman,
Vulture,
3 Oct. 2025
Adjective
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To get a sense of his whole deal, look no further than the half-mocking, half-earnest title of his latest album, Country!—
Jonathan Bernstein,
Rolling Stone,
23 Sep. 2025
Verb
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As of this writing, there's no official trailer for Interview With the Vampire season 3, though AMC did drop a teaser teasing Lestat's life as a rock icon.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
1 Oct. 2025
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Emerald Fennell is teasing her film adaptation of Wuthering Heights, which garnered significant attention following the release of the trailer earlier this month.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
29 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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While speaking to Jay Shetty on his podcast On Purpose in an episode released Wednesday, Watson spoke about the personal, derisive comments Rowling has made against her.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
25 Sep. 2025
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The intensity of Irish expressions of solidarity in 2024 caused one pro-Israel commentator, Ben Cohen, to coin the term Paddystinian as a derisive epithet to counter the narrative.—
Philip Metres
August 27,
Literary Hub,
27 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Where internet trolls often come off as flippant or spiteful, there is a relentless sense of play and mastery of language in even McNally’s most needling posts.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
5 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Heckling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/heckling. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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