Meanings
present singular third person heckles · participle present heckling · participle past heckled · past heckled
- transitiveTo question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses.First known use later 18th c.
Synonyms: grill, interrogate
- transitiveTo insult, tease, make fun of or badger, especially during a comedy performance.
Promise that you won't heckle me after my performance.
4 more examples
As late as 1854, the antichoir members of an Ohio Methodist congregation heckled the choir whenever it tried to sing, hoping to "bring discredit on the singers by creating discord."
2008, BYU Studies, volume 47, page 108[…] Internet postings, speeches, heckling, cartoons, faxes, composites, noises, threats, incitements, videos, ads, prayers, classes, live and filmed nudity (frontal, sideal, backal), defamation, blasphemy, and digital communication […]
2013, Alan M. Dershowitz, Taking the Stand: My Life in the Law, Crown, →ISBN, page 106It is the large brown bonxies that heckle me as I pass across the high moor and approach the sheep gate.
2020, Tim Ecott, The Land of Maybe, Short Books, published 2021, page 102The student section of Blue Devils fans, called “Cameron Crazies” for the energy and antics they bring to that cramped arena at Duke, heckles opponents with the help of “cheer sheets” that include biographical details and biting comments about opposing players.
2024 March 7, Emmanuel Morgan, “Duke Asks Its Crazed Basketball Fans to Heckle Responsibly”, in The New York TimesSynonyms: barrack
plural heckles
- alternativeAlternative form of hackle (“tool for separating flax”).
- The long shining feathers on a cock's neck.
- A feather ornament in the full-dress bonnets of Highland regiments.
- An rude interruption during a show, especially a comedy performance
The stand-up dealt well with the heckles from the crowd, replying with raucous banter to raise plenty of laughs.
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses.
verbTo insult, tease, make fun of or badger, especially during a comedy performance.
verbTo prepare (flax) for spinning, using special combs called hackles.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Germanic*hakilōną
- Proto-West Germanic*hakilōn
- Middle Dutchhekelen“to prickle, irritate”
- Middle Englishhekelen“to comb flax or hemp with a heckle”
- Englishheckle
Transferred usage of Middle English hekelen (“to comb flax or hemp with a heckle”), from hekele (“a comb for flax or hemp”), from Middle Dutch hekelen (“to prickle, irritate”), from Proto-West Germanic *hakilōn, from Proto-Germanic *hakilōną, related to *hakô (“hook”). Doublet of hatchel. Related to hackle.
More words from Middle English, Middle Dutch, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian апострофирам
- апострофирам (apostrofiram)question harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
Czech hecovat, provokovat
- hecovatquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- provokovatquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- hecovatinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- štvátinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- provokovatinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- pokřikovatinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- přerušovatinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Danish håne, fornærme
- håneinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- fornærmeinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Dutch hekelen, hekelen
- hekelenquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- hekeleninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Esperanto demandaĉi
- demandaĉiquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
Finnish keskeyttää, huudella
- keskeyttääquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- huudellaquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- haukkuainsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- häiritäinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
German dazwischenrufen, ausquetschen
- dazwischenrufenquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- ausquetschenquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- examinierenquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- verhörenquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- beleidigeninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- beschimpfeninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- verspotteninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- spöttelninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- verhöhneninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- belästigeninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- bedrängeninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- plageninsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Irish cuir isteach ar
- cuir isteach arinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Latin convīcior
- convīciorinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Polish przedrzeźniać
- przedrzeźniaćquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
Spanish abuchear, abroncar
- abuchearinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- abroncarinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- silbarinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- chuflarinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- rechiflarinsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Swedish häckla, häckla
- häcklaquestion harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses
- häcklainsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- pikainsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- hånainsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- skymfainsult, tease, make fun of, badger
- förolämpainsult, tease, make fun of, badger
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with heckle
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
heckle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heckle
“heckle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heckle. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “heckle,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/heckle.
Source: heckle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.