heroics
Britishplural noun
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prosody short for heroic verse
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extravagant or melodramatic language, behaviour, etc
Explanation
When you act brave in an overly showy way, that's heroics. Sailing your little boat out into a raging storm just so you can brag about it later? Clearly nothing but heroics. Heroics is used to mean both true heroism and a bravado that often involves dangerous or ridiculous actions. Use it in the first way for real bravery, like the heroics of a firefighter rescuing someone from a burning house or an emergency room doctor who saves a patient with a serious injury. Used in the second way, this word describes false or showy bravery and can even describe someone's speech: "He bragged about his success on the soccer field, but it was all just heroics."
Vocabulary lists containing heroics
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.
“I had to come back in,” Flowers said of his late-game heroics.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Dix was a baseball prodigy too cocky and flashy for his own good who now coasts through life on his long-ago heroics coupled with charm and an undeserved diet of luck.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
While James’s numbers and playoff heroics say that he is still firmly among the upper echelon of NBA stars, his new deal is paying him like a somewhat useful backup.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Vozinha's heroics sparked a global following, with his Instagram audience skyrocketing from about 50,000 before the tournament to more than 29 million.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
I was busy feeling sorry for my unappreciated heroics and myself in general and didn’t see Rose there until she briefly took my hand.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
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.
