heck

German
Persian
Russian
Spanish

An exclamation of frustration or surprise, "heck" is like saying "good grief" or "goodness gracious."

When people use the word "heck," it's often when they're expressing their emotions in a moment. For example, if someone is stuck in traffic and frustrated, they might say, "This traffic is heck!" It's not meant to be taken literally, but rather as an exclamation of annoyance or frustration. The word can also be used in a more playful way, like when a kid is disappointed by losing a game: "I lost at Monopoly, heck! I thought I was going to win!" In this case, it's just a lighthearted way of expressing a sense of surprise and disappointment.

How common is "heck"?

Word heck is considered uncommon in modern English.
It has a balanced usage among all categories: speech, fiction, newspapers and academic texts.
Definitions

interjection

  • (euphemistic) Hell.

    Example: Heck, what did I expect? It's too muddy out to go biking today.

Real examples of "heck" in context

Bowl image

Save 'heck' to your personal vocabulary and increase your knowledge with smart tests!