hero
Pluralheroes
Pluralheroes
- 1A person of great bravery who carries out extraordinary or noble deeds.
The town honored the hero who dragged three swimmers out of the riptide.
History remembers heroes not only for their victories but for the sacrifices behind them.
UsageCommon in hailed as a hero and a national hero. The plural is heroes (not
incorrect: heros).Similarchampion
Oppositecoward
Note
Modern usage stretches it from rescuers and soldiers to people admired for what they endure, such as children facing cancer. That breadth is why the modest reply 'I'm no hero' comes so readily.
- 2A person admired as a role model, whose qualities or achievements others aspire to emulate.
Growing up, she counted her chemistry teacher among her heroes.
He kept a photo of his hero, the jazz trumpeter, above his desk.
UsageOften with a possessive: my hero, her childhood hero; also a hero to someone.
Similaridol, inspiration, icon
- 3The protagonist in a work of fiction; the central character around whom the story is built.
The novel's hero spends the first chapters doubting everything she was raised to believe.
Audiences root for the hero even when his choices grow morally murky.
UsageUsually the hero of a book or film. It can name a woman too, though heroine is also used.
Similarprotagonist, lead
Oppositevillain, antagonist
Note
In criticism the word marks a character's place in the story, not their virtue. Karuna Shanker Misra's The Tragic Hero Through Ages (1992) argues that Satan is wrongly called the hero of Paradise Lost, and proposes villain-hero or counter-hero instead. Even a celebrated folktale hero can be, in Kamil Zvelebil's words, 'somewhat of a simpleton'. Calling someone the hero of a story is a claim about structure, not character.
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- The catalogue records the author as Karuna Shanker Misra and the title as The Tragic Hero Through Ages, without 'the' before 'Ages'. search.worldcat.org
- The book argues that Satan is wrongly called the hero of Paradise Lost and instead calls him the villain-hero or counter-hero. en.wiktionary.org
- Kamil Zvelebil describes a folktale hero as 'somewhat of a simpleton'. en.wiktionary.org
- 4A playable character in a video or card game, chosen and controlled by the player and usually given special powers or abilities.
The latest update added a new healer hero whose ultimate ability revives fallen teammates.
Each deck is built around a single hero, and the hero's power can be used once per turn.
Note
Here the word names a playable character, not a virtue: a game's roster of heroes can include brooding mercenaries and outright villains. Players pick, play, unlock and counter heroes, and a hero is usually defined by a role and a kit of abilities, such as healing or tanking. Unlike the protagonist of a story, a game may offer many heroes, and each player chooses which one to be.
- 5The actor who plays the leading male role in a film, or more generally a male film star.
The producers have signed a newcomer as the hero, opposite one of the biggest heroines in the industry.
Every boy in our colony dreamed of growing up to become a hero in the movies.
Note
Indian English uses the word for a film's leading man, with heroine as his partner, and it describes the part rather than the character's morals: the hero may well play a rogue. It also stretches to the actor himself as a star, so a newcomer is launched as a hero and fans argue over their favorite hero. Elsewhere in English, lead or leading man does this job.
Less common meanings
- 6In the legends of the ancient world, a man of more than mortal strength or bravery, often the child of a human and a god, famed for mighty deeds.
The ancient poem tells how the hero strangled a lion with his bare hands and wore its skin as armor.
An ancient vase in the museum shows two heroes battling a three-headed monster.
Similardemigod
Note
Here the word is closest to its Greek source, hḗrōs, which meant a demigod as well as a hero. A modern hero needs only courage; the legendary one often has a god for a parent as well.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- The Greek source hḗrōs meant a hero or demigod. en.wiktionary.org
- Legendary heroes often have divine parentage. en.wikipedia.org
- 7A large sandwich on a long roll, filled with meats and cheeses.
He picked up an Italian hero piled with salami and provolone on his way home.
The corner deli is famous for heroes stuffed with roast beef and peppers.
UsageOften preceded by the filling, as in a meatball hero or a turkey hero, or written in full as hero sandwich.
Similarsub, hoagie, grinder, submarine
Note
A New York name for the long-roll sandwich, sometimes written out in full as hero sandwich. Because the term belongs to New York usage, using it marks a speaker's or a menu's local roots.
Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts
- Hero is a New York name for a large sandwich. en.wiktionary.org
- The sandwich is also called a hero sandwich. en.wiktionary.org
- 8To behave as a brave person, role model, or protagonist; to take on a heroic role.
Whenever the project stalls, he rushes in to hero instead of letting the team work it out.
Instead of waiting for backup, he heroed into the final fight alone and was knocked out within seconds.
Note
The verb's spellings are not settled. The third-person form appears as both heroes and heros. The present participle is heroing and, rarely, heroeing, and the past is simply heroed. The verb is casual and intransitive, and it combines easily with adverbs. In Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge's Black and White (2009), one character warns another, 'I don't think you want to be heroing off just yet.'
Checked 30 Oct 2026 · 3 facts
- Black and White was written by Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge. penguinrandomhouse.com
- Black and White was first published in 2009. en.wikipedia.org
- The quoted words occur as a character's dialogue in Black and White. en.wiktionary.org
- 9To make something the focus of attention by giving it prominent placement or emphasis.
- 10The single product or prop selected from several candidates to appear on camera, as in food advertising or film production.
- 11The standout component of a dish; the element meant to take center stage on the palate.
- 12The eye-catching top portion of a web page, displayed before the user scrolls, often featuring a large image and a key message.
- 13In poker discussion, the current player under consideration, especially a hypothetical player used for examples and teaching, as opposed to the villain, any opposing player.
- 14To praise or laud someone or something.
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Practice
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Origin
It comes through Middle English and Old French from Latin hērōs, from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, "demi-god, hero"), whose earlier origin is uncertain. It replaced the older Middle English word heleð, from Old English hæleþ.
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 5 facts
- Hero comes through Middle English and Old French from Latin hērōs. en.wiktionary.org
- Latin hērōs comes from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs), meaning hero or demi-god. en.wiktionary.org
- The earlier origin of the Greek word is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org
- Hero displaced the older Middle English word heleð. en.wiktionary.org
- Middle English heleð comes from Old English hæleþ. en.wiktionary.org