heckle

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heckle

/ˈhɛkəl/
[ˈhɛkəl] ~ [ˈhɛkl̩]

Rhymes with -ɛkəl

Where it comes from

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.

verb heckles · heckling · heckled

transitive To question harshly in an attempt to find or reveal weaknesses.
Similar: grill, interrogate
transitive To insult, tease, make fun of or badger, especially during a comedy performance. Promise that you won't heckle me after my performance.
Similar: barrack
To prepare (flax) for spinning, using special combs called hackles.
Similar: hackle

Similar: badger, barrack, gird, heckle, jeer, roast, taunt, tease · Opposite: cheer, incite

noun heckles

alternative Alternative 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.

Thesaurus

verb

Similar: badger, barrack, gird, heckle, jeer, roast, taunt, tease · Opposite: cheer, incite

Translations

Every language

verb question harshly in an attempt to reveal weaknesses

Deutsch	dazwischenrufen, ausquetschen, examinieren, verhören

verb insult, tease, make fun of, badger

Español	abuchear, abroncar, silbar, chuflar, rechiflar
Deutsch	beleidigen, beschimpfen, verspotten, spötteln, verhöhnen, belästigen

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MLA

"heckle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/heckle. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

heckle. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/heckle

Chicago

"heckle." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/heckle.

BibTeX

@misc{heckle_2026,
  title = {heckle},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/heckle},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}