superhero

American  

[soo-per-heer-oh] / ˈsu pərˌhɪər oʊ /

noun

• superheroes
  plural

1. a morally righteous hero in a fictional work who possesses extraordinary abilities or supernatural powers and uses them to fight evil, as in comic books and movies.

   Many classic superheroes wear masks to maintain their secret identities.

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superhero British  

/ ˈsuːpəˌhɪərəʊ /

noun

1. any of various comic-strip characters with superhuman abilities or magical powers, wearing a distinctive costume, and fighting against evil

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• superheroes
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

superhero superheroes

Mentmore Towers doubled as Wayne Manor in the 2005 superhero film directed by Sir Christopher Nolan, and was once home to the Rothschild family.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

Evans purchased the property two years after making his debut as Captain America and is understood to have utilized the gym while preparing for many of his appearances as the beloved Marvel superhero.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

If all myths, including superhero stories, are meant to be allegories, then think of this episode as an expansion of a motto articulated in a 2013 episode of “Scandal.”

From Salon ● Aug. 31, 2026

The superhero film fronted by Tom Holland and real-life wife Zendaya brought in $39 million, down 45 percent on last weekend's take.

From Barron's ● Aug. 23, 2026

I had just been wondering that myself—wondering who the superhero is with a dad in prison.

From "Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson

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

That included the launch of a new series of Magic: The Gathering cards based on Marvel superheroes, which debuted recently and set a record for first-day and first-month sales of Magic cards.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

At the end of term, Dáibhin's school dedicated a day to him, with his classmates dressing up as superheroes in his honour.

From BBC ● Jun. 30, 2026

But once the movie came out, it was so heartwarming to see that there were already like 10 other Latino superheroes that were making their debuts on the screen,” Maridueña said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 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

Related Words

• hero