heckler

noun

heck·​ler ˈhe-k(ə-)lər 

plural hecklers

: one who heckles someone (such as a performer or speaker) usually by shouting criticisms or insults

Instead of ignoring the trash talking, [Joey] Votto decided to play with the hecklers. "I remember when you used to be good," one fan shouted out. "I remember when you used to be thin," Votto fired back.

—Jimmy Traina

As is usual with us, we can't remember any of the jokes well enough to tell them—only one reply made by a comedian, Professor Irwin Corey, to a heckler. "When your I.Q. reaches twenty-eight," Corey told the man, "sell!"

—The New Yorker

Synonyms

• baiter
• harasser
• mocker
• needler
• persecutor
• quiz
• quizzer
• ridiculer
• taunter
• tease
• teaser
• tormentor
• tormenter
• torturer

Examples of heckler in a Sentence

avoided the hecklers who hung out on the street corner making threatening remarks to passersby

Recent Examples on the Web

Two months later, a video went viral showing her interaction with a heckler at a festival gig in Minnesota. —Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2024

As Harley walks up the courthouse steps, a heckler catches her attention and kisses her. —Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2024

Starmer’s speech was was light on fresh content but a heckler was calmly removed and the key messages were confidently delivered. —Rob Picheta, CNN, 25 Sep. 2024

Death and grief feel like a heckler ruining your life. —Mikey O'Connell, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above