as in taunting
to attack repeatedly with mean put-downs or insults
the players were heckled by disappointed fans
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of heckling
Jillian Frankel, People.com, 21 Aug. 2025
Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 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
Following the game, manager Dave Roberts said that the fan had been heckling Ohtani relentlessly up to that point, though the decision to acknowledge him was a surprising one.
—Peter Chawaga, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 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
-
Trump has also threatened to fire Fed Chair Jerome Powell, often taunting him with name-calling.—
Alex Veiga,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Aug. 2025
-
That entanglement allowed Biden to traverse the country haranguing business on equity, climate, daycare, union labor, and other whole-of-government crusades—while taunting Republicans who relented for the sake of home-district dollars.—
Clyde Wayne Crews Jr,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Gunn has been teasing this new feature for weeks, saying that his next project won’t be a direct sequel to Superman, but will feature characters audiences already know from his summer hit.—
Aaron Couch,
HollywoodReporter,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The radio host was set to return to his SiriusXM show this morning, after nearly a month of teasing a big reveal surrounding rumors that his show would be canceled.—
Jodi Guglielmi,
Rolling Stone,
2 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
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
-
Wall Street reacted to the delays with a derisive nickname TACO, for Trump Always Chickens Out.—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
11 July 2025
Verb
-
And in June, a Chicago White Sox fan was ejected from a game and later banned for life after mocking Arizona Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte’s late mother during a game.—
Sean Neumann,
People.com,
18 Aug. 2025
-
Giants rookie Abdul Carter belittled the Jets on Sunday while mocking the first lowlight of his NFL career.—
Pat Leonard,
New York Daily News,
18 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
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 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share