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Hercules

American  
[hur-kyuh-leez] / ˈhɜr kyəˌliz /

noun

genitive

Herculis

  1. Also called Alcides.  Classical Mythology. Also Heracles a celebrated hero, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, possessing exceptional strength: among his many adventures were the twelve labors for his cousin Eurystheus, performed in order to gain immortality.

  2. Astronomy. a northern constellation, between Lyra and Corona Borealis.

Hercules 1 British  
/ ˈhɜːkjʊˌliːz /

noun

  1. Also called: Alcides.  classical myth a hero noted for his great strength, courage, and for the performance of twelve immense labours

  2. a man of outstanding strength or size

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Hercules 2 British  
/ ˈhɜːkjʊˌliːz /

noun

  1. a large constellation in the N hemisphere lying between Lyra and Corona Borealis

  2. a conspicuous crater in the NW quadrant of the moon, about 70 kilometres in diameter

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Hercules Scientific  
/ hûr′kyə-lēz′ /

  1. A constellation in the Northern Hemisphere near Lyra and Corona Borealis.

Hercules Cultural  

  1. One of the greatest heroes of classical mythology, he is supposed to have been the strongest man on earth. He was renowned for completing twelve seemingly impossible tasks — the Labors of Hercules. One of these labors was the cleaning of the Augean stables; another was the killing of the nine-headed Hydra. Hercules was a son of Zeus.

Other Word Forms

  • Herculean adjective

Etymology

Origin of Hercules

From Latin Herculēs, Herclēs, Greek; see Heracles

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Hercules bench set, composed of five seats made from the same slab of eucalyptus, $12,000.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Talking about the victims, but without mentioning the Hercules plane directly, he wrote: "This piece of scrap metal was bought in 2020 and came down, let's ask why".

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

The crash is the second by a C-130 Hercules aircraft in South America in under a month.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

Thomas Broughton’s vivid text zeroes in on the last days of the hero Hercules, who returns victorious from war with a string of captives.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

Hercules, who was the most magnificent of all the heroes of Greece, was always in his mind, and the determination to be just as magnificent himself.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.