heck no
5
8.9
- idiom
- Informal
- Heck no, man, those things are poisonous.
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Watch on YouTubeThey're saying, oh, not only heck no, it's hell no.
- They're saying, oh, not only heck no, it's hell no.
- Part of your filter could be heck yes or heck no.
- And for a few years, Jeff would say, come and work with me, come and work with me, and I would say heck no.
- Sometimes heck no or H no or yes, heck yes, H yes, right?
Examples
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We have Dumbledore from Harry Potter and we have Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre and heck no, heck no.
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The data in my head said, heck no, No way.
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Like I have no intention of wearing these out of the house because heck no, that's not me.
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I mean, heck no.
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He asked if I wanted to go skydiving, and I replied, 'Heck no!'
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When she suggested that I eat another slice of cake, I said, 'Heck no, I've had enough.'
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When he proposed going hiking on a rainy day, I quickly said, 'Heck no!'
Synonyms
∞
1.0
An answer that refuses a request or idea
679
8.4
An informal way to say no
414
7.7
A casual spoken way to say no
56
9.9
A casual way to say no
51
8.4
A vote against a proposal in a meeting
31
9.9
Tell someone angrily to go away and that you will not accept their idea
27
9.9
A short informal word people say to show disagreement
16
9.9
A playful, strong way to say no
15
9.9
A very rude way to tell someone you strongly refuse their idea or order
12
8.7
A long, loud cry showing strong feelings like surprise or disappointment
11
9.9
To say no strongly using a Russian word
8
9.8
A long cry people make to show strong sadness or shock
4
8.8
A strong informal way to say no
2
9.9
Tell someone to go away in a rude way
2
9.9
A casual way to say no in conversation
2
9.0
A short informal way to say no, often on radio
1
9.9
A strong informal phrase for refusing something
1
9.9
A rude phrase telling someone you refuse their request and they should go away
A long written cry showing shock or refusal
A long dramatic no used in messages to show strong refusal or sadness
Antonyms
How Firm
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines a mild exclamation/intensifier 'heck' with the negator 'no', yielding an emphatic refusal that is directly predictable from the parts. Although informal, the composition (intensifier + negation) is a common and transparent pattern that a B1 learner who knows both words will readily interpret as a strong 'no'.
Etymology
Heck no started as a softer version of the stronger hell no, where people said heck instead of hell to avoid a rude word but keep the strong feeling. So heck no is used to give a very firm 'no' or strong refusal.