as in bully
a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons
law penalizing debt collection agencies that operate like hectors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in to intimidate
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
the judge warned the attorney that hectoring the witness with aggressive questioning would not be allowed
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 hector
The Economist, 18 July 2017
Trump’s proposals to match China’s import fees and to hector companies into keeping jobs in the United States represent a huge threat to the mercantilist Asian economic model.
—Joel Kotkin, Orange County Register, 2 Apr. 2017
Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 18 May 2025
Indeed, last summer, Beijing hectored Cambridge University Press into sanitizing the digital archive of The China Quarterly, an important English-language academic journal, by removing over 300 articles the CCP found objectionable from its Chinese search function.
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
See All Example Sentences for hector
Noun
THE young woman with the microphone cajoles, hectors and wheedles customers with the breathless enthusiasm of a livestock auctioneer at a county fair.
—The Economist, 18 July 2017
Trump’s proposals to match China’s import fees and to hector companies into keeping jobs in the United States represent a huge threat to the mercantilist Asian economic model.
—Joel Kotkin, Orange County Register, 2 Apr. 2017
Verb
Vance’s hectoring message to Europe in February on his first trip abroad landed like a lead balloon with American allies.
—Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 18 May 2025
Indeed, last summer, Beijing hectored Cambridge University Press into sanitizing the digital archive of The China Quarterly, an important English-language academic journal, by removing over 300 articles the CCP found objectionable from its Chinese search function.
—Orville Schell, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2017
See All Example Sentences for hector
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hector
Noun
-
In the series’ first season (Class 1), Si-eun (Park Ji-hoon) becomes the target of a class bully after beating him at their school’s math competition.—
Regina Kim,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
-
Iran, the bully of the Middle East, must now make peace…Remember, there are many targets left.—
Marni Rose McFall,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 June 2025
Verb
-
Her longstanding reputation for being intimidating was thought to have inspired Miranda Priestly's character in The Devil Wears Prada, a book written by her former assistant Lauren Weisberger and later made into a movie starring Anne Hathaway and Meryl Streep.—
Colleen Kratofil,
People.com,
26 June 2025
-
How Unions are Stepping in to Fill Governance Gaps Unions have observed that many workers feel intimidated by the technical nature of AI and are uneasy when discussing their concerns with their employers.—
Oludolapo Makinde,
Forbes.com,
26 June 2025
Noun
-
It’s often considered an enemy of development in the state due to its ability to slow projects to a grinding halt.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacbee.com,
30 June 2025
-
After each round, a new hand is drawn from the deck, enemies perform their actions (and maybe more enemies appear), and action points reset.—
Jason Bennett,
Arkansas Online,
29 June 2025
Verb
-
The woman inside banged pots and pans and screamed at the bear to try to frighten it away, officials said.—
Don Sweeney,
Sacbee.com,
25 June 2025
-
Winston Churchill said the U-boat peril was the only thing that really frightened him during World War II.—
Carl Burdette,
Baltimore Sun,
22 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Hector.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hector. Accessed 7 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share