superhero
Americannoun
-
superheroes
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of superhero
First recorded in 1895–1900; from French super-héros
Explanation
A fictional character with extraordinary powers who saves people from danger is a superhero. In real life, anyone who comes to the rescue can also be called a superhero. You know a superhero when you see one: in the movies or comics, they wear costumes and fight crime. Wonder Woman, Superman, Black Panther, and Iron Man are all familiar superheroes who use their superhuman abilities in amazing ways. Ordinary people who do amazing things — saving a child from drowning, running into a burning building for a pet cat, raising huge amounts of money for a good cause — are also superheroes.
Vocabulary lists containing superhero
Hands
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Comic Book Day
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A Boy Called Bat
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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.
See Examples For:
His role as professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” film series from 2000 to 2017 helped propel his career to new heights and usher in a new era of superhero films.
From Salon ● Oct. 29, 2026
Stewart found further acclaim on the big screen in many films of the "X-Men" series, debuting in 2000 as Professor Charles Xavier, the founder and mentor of the mutant superhero team.
From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2026
After a role in the 2025 superhero adventure Dispatch, McLoughlin's got a new role in Hitman, the successful "assassination simulator" from Danish studio IO Interactive.
From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026
“I feel like an undercover superhero, kind of, trying to do everything,” he said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Instead, they portrayed Dr. Kane as selflessly helping a young girl rise from her sordid profession by providing a proper education—polishing his image as a kind of super-generous superhero.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
"I've always looked up to bodybuilders as like superheroes and something I aspired to be," he said.
From BBC ● Oct. 11, 2026
It is one of those moments where you realize it, particularly because we were three men, but also inside of the canon of these superheroes, it’s always a dad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
Or, if you prefer superheroes: HBO’s new show adapts DC’s Green Lantern comics, but the series offers more than just your typical superhero fare.
From Slate ● Aug. 31, 2026
Gen Z largely views superheroes as entertainment for older generations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 30, 2026
It doesn’t matter if we don’t go skydiving to play it safe, even though it means we’ll never get to fly like my favorite superheroes do.
From "They Both Die at the End" by Adam Silvera
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
