heckle

/ˈhɛkəl/

Other forms: heckled; heckles

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.

Definitions of heckle

1. verb

   challenge aggressively
   type of:

   break up, cut off, disrupt, interrupt

   make a break in
2. noun

   a comb for separating flax fibers
   synonyms: hatchel

   type of:

   comb

   any of several tools for straightening fibers
3. verb

   comb with a heckle
   “heckle hemp or flax”

   synonyms: hackle, hatchel

   type of:

   comb

   straighten with a comb