- used to show that you are slightly annoyed or surprised; used to emphasize something
- Oh heck, I'm going to be late!
- Heck! You’re here early!
- a heck of a something We had to wait a heck of a long time!
- It was a heck of a lot of fun.
- The world has a heck of a lot of people needing to be fed.
- Who the heck are you?
Word Originlate 19th cent. (originally northern English dialect): euphemistic alteration of hell.
Idioms
See heck in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryfor the heck of it
- (informal) just for pleasure rather than for a reason
what the heck!
- (informal) used to say that you are going to do something that you know you should not do
- It means I'll be late for work but what the heck!
Check pronunciation:
heck