Definition of "heckle" []

• To try to embarrass and annoy (someone speaking or performing in public) by questions, gibes, or objections; badger. (verb-transitive)
• To comb (flax or hemp) with a hatchel. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "The heckle is the first chink in our civility towards our government institutions and our heritage that sets us apart from other nations."
• "Republicans, meanwhile, rallied around Wilson, with many saying a planned resolution disapproving of Wilson's heckle is a petty partisan distraction from more serious issues."
• "Then I got quite a minor heckle from the audience."