heckle
Americanverb
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to interrupt (a public speaker, performer, etc) by comments, questions, or taunts
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Also: hackle. hatchel. (tr) to comb (hemp or flax)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have heckledperfect
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has heckledperfect 3rd person singular
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is hecklingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been hecklingperfect progressive
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hecklessingular 3rd person
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has been hecklingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am hecklingprogressive 1st person singular
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hecklingparticiple
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are hecklingprogressive
Past
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had heckledperfect
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had been hecklingperfect progressive
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was hecklingprogressive singular
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were hecklingprogressive plural
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heckledparticiple
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heckledsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of heckle
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English hekelen, variant of hechelen “to comb flax”; akin to hackle 1, hatchel
Explanation
To heckle is to challenge or harass someone. At a sporting event, fans sometimes heckle the opposing team, but it’s not very respectable behavior. One of the many challenges of being a stand-up comedian is dealing with people harassing you from the audience. Those people are heckling. While heckling in a comedy club is not all that unusual, it’s still rude. If you choose to heckle someone, whether they are a comic or anyone else, be prepared to be heckled back — or worse.
Vocabulary lists containing heckle
One of Us Is Lying
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Yada Yada Yada
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Monday's Not Coming
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Tiger With Cubs” depicts a tigress nursing her young under pine trees as magpies heckle them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 12, 2025
Passersby who witnessed this altercation began to heckle the police, demanding they take the handcuffs off Smith.
From Salon • May 13, 2025
Arizona and Arizona State fans once used the term to heckle him, but the taunts had the opposite of their intended effect.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 20, 2025
The prime minister received another, less-hostile, heckle when a member of the crowd shouted out: "Prime minister, it's not Coca-Cola."
From BBC • Aug. 1, 2023
I want to get there early to claim a seat in the front, where I can heckle Simon and Nick.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
