heck
- 01 B1 Intermediate
n.you use this word in a question to show you are very surprised or confused.
n.used as a euphemistic intensifier within wh-questions to express surprise, frustration, or bewilderment.
Simple“How the heck did you manage to finish that difficult project so quickly?”
In context“Where the heck did I leave my car keys? I have been searching the entire house for twenty minutes.”
UsageAlways follows a question word like 'what', 'where', or 'how'.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.used to describe a large amount of something or to say something is very good.
n.used in the phrase 'a heck of a' to emphasize the significant size, quality, or intensity of something.
Simple“That was a heck of a game; I have never seen such a close finish.”
In context“It is going to be a heck of a challenge to convince the board to approve such a radical change in strategy.”
UsageUsed in the construction 'a heck of a [noun]'.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
interj.a polite word you say when you are slightly annoyed or when something goes wrong.
interj.a euphemistic exclamation used to express mild annoyance, disappointment, or surprise.
Simple“Oh heck, I forgot to bring my umbrella and it is starting to rain.”
In context“Oh heck, I think I just deleted the final version of the report instead of saving it to the cloud.”
English, Dutch and south German surname, all from words meaning "hedge," "enclosure," "fence," from *haggju. Compare Van Heck, Hatch.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.