hero
[heer-oh]
- a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character: He became a local hero when he saved the drowning child.
- a person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal: My older sister is my hero. Entrepreneurs are our modern heroes.
- the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.
- Classical Mythology.
- a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.
- (in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability.
- (in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.
- hero sandwich.
- the bread or roll used in making a hero sandwich.
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Compare heroine(defs 1–3).
Origin of hero
1605–15; back formation from Middle English heroes (plural) < Latin hērōs (singular), hērōes (plural) < Greek hḗrōs, hḗrōes
Usage note
In its earliest use, the word hero was applied almost exclusively to a man. The corresponding word heroine was–and still is–reserved for a woman. Hero is still sometimes used to refer specifically to a man: British heroes and heroines. But hero is now considered to be a gender-neutral word, and is also increasingly used to refer to a woman: a list of American heroes; Joan of Arc, a French hero. In the sense "the principal character in a story, play, etc.," a hero is male and a heroine is female: Margaret is the novel’s heroine.
Synonyms
See more synonyms for on Thesaurus.comAntonyms
Hero
[heer-oh]
- Classical Mythology. a priestess of Aphrodite who drowned herself after her lover Leander drowned while swimming the Hellespont to visit her.
- Also Heron. Hero of Alexandria, flourished 1st century a.d., Greek scientist.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for hero
Contemporary Examples
His hero, Bruce Springsteen, is a gazillionaire, but he still manages to come across as a regular guy, so perception is reality.
My captain on the boat, Brazakka, he wanted me to do this Hemingway bit, with the white stubble, and he wanted the hero angle.
Selma becomes a biopic in which the hero shines while those who worked beside him are overlooked or relegated to the sidelines.
Sting took over the lead role to try to draw an audience, but his thumpingly inspirational score was already the hero of the show.
Hedwig, Hugh & Michael Cera: 12 Powerhouse Theater Performances of 2014Janice Kaplan
December 31, 2014
But you know, I had only one other hero in my life acting and that was River [Phoenix].
Coffee Talk with Ethan Hawke: On ‘Boyhood,’ Jennifer Lawrence, and Bill Clinton’s Urinal ExchangeMarlow Stern
December 27, 2014
Historical Examples
"It makes no difference to you where I got it," said our hero, returning the money to his pocket.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
Our hero listened with modest pleasure while it was being read.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
Our hero, though strong-armed, had hard work to keep up with him.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
In spite of the wound he seized the musket and forcibly wrested it from our hero.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
He thought that our hero was about to beg to be taken back into his employ.
Brave and BoldHoratio Alger
hero
- a man distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, fortitude, etc
- a man who is idealized for possessing superior qualities in any field
- classical myth a being of extraordinary strength and courage, often the offspring of a mortal and a god, who is celebrated for his exploits
- the principal male character in a novel, play, etc
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Word Origin
C14: from Latin hērōs, from Greek
Hero1
- Greek myth a priestess of Aphrodite, who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while swimming the Hellespont to visit her
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Hero2
Heron
- 1st century ad, Greek mathematician and inventor
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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
Word Origin and History for hero
n.1
late 14c., "man of superhuman strength or physical courage," from Latin heros "hero," from Greek heros "demi-god" (a variant singular of which was heroe), originally "defender, protector," from PIE root *ser- "to watch over, protect" (cf. Latin servare "to save, deliver, preserve, protect;" see observe). Meaning "man who exhibits great bravery" in any course of action is from 1660s. Sense of "chief male character in a play, story, etc." first recorded 1690s. First record of hero-worship is from 1774.
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n.2
1955, the New York term for a sandwich elsewhere called submarine, grinder, poor boy (New Orleans), or hoagie (Philadelphia); origin unknown, perhaps so called for its great size, or a folk etymology alteration of Greek gyro as a type of sandwich.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Hero
[hē′rō]
- Greek mathematician who wrote on mechanics and invented many water-driven and steam-driven machines. He also developed a formula for determining the area of a triangle.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.