as in enemies
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 intimidates
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
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Recent Examples of hectors
Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
Noun
At the slightest provocation, Ye bullies, hectors, and screams at everyone from Paris fashion-show lackeys to the mother of his child.
—Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectors
Noun
-
The president has directed the department to pursue his personal enemies and has replaced career DOJ employees with inexperienced MAGA loyalists, sometimes to the detriment of his own agenda.—
Will Gottsegen,
The Atlantic,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Olivia, Bailey’s mother, was really Kate Smith, and her father was Nicholas Bell (David Morse), famous mob lawyer for The Syndicate, or The Organization, a group notorious for crimes and brutal retaliation against their enemies.—
Dessi Gomez,
Deadline,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Maybe her coolness intimidates them, or her green eyes.—
Rodrigo Hasbún,
Literary Hub,
24 Feb. 2026
-
If French wine intimidates you, this is the perfect place to get over that fear.—
Noel Burgess,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The screen fades to black, and then, seconds later, Kid and the bullies are on their knees with their hands behind their heads, facing a cop who has his gun drawn.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
13 Feb. 2026
-
In order to rule in her favor, jurors will have to parse the harmful actions of fellow users — including her high school bullies and adult men sending her unsolicited nudes — from design decisions made by the companies themselves.—
Sonja Sharp,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Mother cows bond deeply with their calves.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
All the while, Sarah is being hunted by corporate intimidators Dawson (Sam Worthington) and Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald), who want to ensure her silence.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
22 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
In a season 3 teaser, Peter saves Suraj Sharma's Jay Batra from some thugs at a soccer stadium.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Foucauld had later left the army to become a Trappist monk and had established himself as a missionary in Tamanrasset, Algeria, in the middle of the Sahara Desert; he was killed there by local thugs in 1916.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
17 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hectors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectors. Accessed 28 Feb. 2026.
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