hector

1 of 2

noun

hec·​tor ˈhek-tər 

1

capitalized : a son of Priam, husband of Andromache, and Trojan champion slain by Achilles

2

: bully, braggart

hector

2 of 2

verb

hectored; hectoring ˈhek-t(ə-)riŋ 

intransitive verb

: to behave in an arrogant or intimidating way : to play the bully : swagger

transitive verb

: to intimidate or harass by bluster or personal pressure

football players being hectored by their coach

hectoringly

ˈhek-t(ə-)riŋ-lē 

adverb

Did you know?

In Homer's Iliad, Hector, the eldest son of King Priam of Troy, was a model soldier, son, father, and friend, the champion of the Trojan army until he was killed by the Greek hero Achilles. So how did his name become a verb meaning "to intimidate or harrass"? That use was likely influenced by gangs of rowdy street toughs who roamed London in the 17th century and called themselves "Hectors." They may have thought themselves gallant young blades, but to the general populace they were swaggering bullies who intimidated passersby and vandalized property.

Synonyms

Noun

• bully
• bullyboy
• intimidator

Verb

• blackjack
• bogart
• browbeat
• bulldoze
• bully
• bullyrag
• cow
• intimidate
• strong-arm

Choose the Right Synonym for hector

bait, badger, heckle, hector, chivy, hound mean to harass by efforts to break down.

bait implies wanton cruelty or delight in persecuting a helpless victim.

baited the chained dog

badger implies pestering so as to drive a person to confusion or frenzy.

badgered her father for a car

heckle implies persistent annoying or belligerent interruptions of a speaker.

drunks heckled the stand-up comic

hector carries an implication of bullying and domineering.

football players hectored by their coach

chivy suggests persecution by teasing or nagging.

chivied the new student mercilessly

hound implies unrelenting pursuit and harassing.

hounded by creditors

Examples of hector in a Sentence

Noun

law penalizing debt collection agencies that operate like hectors

Verb

The judge ordered the attorney to stop hectoring the witness.

the judge warned the attorney that hectoring the witness with aggressive questioning would not be allowed

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

And Remy places McCarthy on Baldwin’s subcommittee when in fact the Wisconsin senator never actually served as a member but instead had received, as a courtesy, permission from Baldwin to attend the subcommittee’s hearings (which McCarthy then exploited to harass and hector witnesses). —Lawrence Douglas, Foreign Affairs, 17 June 2017

Photo: hector retamal/Agence France-Presse/Getty Images Seven hours into the march, Mrs. Lam apologized to the Hong Kong people for mishandling the bill. —Wenxin Fan, WSJ, 16 June 2019

Verb

Yet overall, the tone of the curation is hectoring and didactic, informed by humourless identity politics. —The Week Uk, theweek, 29 Nov. 2024

Like many of Harris’ media appearances, those events assured the former president steered well away from hectoring hosts and their inconvenient fact-checking. —James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Latin, from Greek Hektōr

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1660, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Podcast

Get Word of the Day delivered to your inbox!

Kids Definition

hector

verb

hec·​tor

ˈhek-tər

hectored; hectoring

-t(ə-)riŋ

1

: to act like a bully : swagger

2

: to frighten by threatening or bullying