hectors 1 of 2

noun

plural of hector
as in enemies
a person who teases, threatens, or hurts smaller, weaker, or more vulnerable persons law penalizing debt collection agencies that operate like hectors

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hectors

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hector
as in intimidates
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats the judge warned the attorney that hectoring the witness with aggressive questioning would not be allowed

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of hectors
Noun
Larry David, in character, hectors at the Wright brothers in the trailer for his new HBO Max series. — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 11 June 2026 At the slightest provocation, Ye bullies, hectors, and screams at everyone from Paris fashion-show lackeys to the mother of his child. — Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hectors
  1. enemies
  2. intimidates
  3. bullies
  4. cows
  5. intimidators
  6. browbeats
  7. thugs
Noun
  • But unlike other Floridians of Cuban descent — including Secretary of State Marco Rubio — Valdes ended up defending Cuba’s socialist revolutionaries and officials who have killed, jailed, tortured, and censored numerous political enemies.
    — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Other paths, however, decrease the number of enemies (decrement), and still other areas can open a passage when there are no more enemies (jump-if-zero).
    — Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of enemies
Verb
  • Melanie Melanie came to this reunion prepared with both facts and a prosecutorial confrontation style that effectively intimidates all of her on-stage opponents.
    — Kathleen Walsh, Vulture, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In the five vignettes, James, as his character Eddie Horniman, intimidates various individuals while going through the clean-up, the sacrifice, the angle, the cut and the judgment — all steps of serving Stella Artois.
    — Chiara Kim, PEOPLE, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of intimidates
Noun
  • Dementia is clearly a big problem, and yet, sadly, our politicians — both Democrats and Republicans — talk about it not like adults, but like schoolyard bullies.
    — Jason Karlawish, STAT, 16 Sep. 2026
  • Now Carrie enters public school for the very first time, and with the reemergence of formidable telekinetic abilities, her blissful naivety of girlhood and her wide-open heart make her easy prey for physical and online bullies.
    — Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Sep. 2026
Definition of bullies
Verb
  • With their long and crescent-shaped horns, the Inyambo cows graze at the King’s Palace Museum in Nyanza and at the homes of some of Rwanda's richest people, including President Paul Kagame.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 June 2026
  • The notion of cow tipping is based on the idea that cows sleep standing up.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Mar. 2026
Definition of cows
Noun
  • All the while, Sarah is being hunted by corporate intimidators Dawson (Sam Worthington) and Rosetti (Willa Fitzgerald), who want to ensure her silence.
    — EW.com, EW.com, 22 Aug. 2025
Definition of intimidators
Verb
  • The report starts by outlining how the league browbeats front offices with memos and other communication about cap circumvention and what qualifies, which is absolutely correct.
    — John Hollinger, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Scarface doesn’t just bark orders at his underlings but browbeats the whimpering Ventriloquist, giving him that warped double personality that made older characters like Two-Face so alluring.
    — Daniel Dockery, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of browbeats
Noun
  • Saint played Edie Doyle, whose brother was murdered by thugs working for a mob boss running a longshoremen's union; her character becomes involved with Brando's pugilistic dockworker Terry Malloy.
    — David Morgan, CBS News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • The residents occasionally gather in a disused rec center but the meetings devolve into rants about immigrants, junkies, thugs and vigilantism.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of thugs

Browse Nearby Words

hectoring
hectors
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Cite this Entry

“Hectors.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hectors. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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