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• heron
  heron

  noun

  any of numerous long-legged, long-necked, usually long-billed birds of the family Ardeidae, including the true herons, egrets, night herons, and bitterns.
• Heron
  Heron

  noun

  Hero.

heron

¹ American  

[her-uhn] / ˈhɛr ən /

noun

herons plural

1. any of numerous long-legged, long-necked, usually long-billed birds of the family Ardeidae, including the true herons, egrets, night herons, and bitterns.

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Heron ² American  

[heer-on] / ˈhɪər ɒn /

noun

1. Hero.

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Heron ¹ British  

/ ˈhɪərɒn /

noun

1. same as Hero

2. Patrick. 1920–99, British abstract painter and art critic

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heron ² British  

/ ˈhɛrən /

noun

1. any of various wading birds of the genera Butorides, Ardea, etc, having a long neck, slim body, and a plumage that is commonly grey or white: family Ardeidae, order Ciconiiformes

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• herons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of heron

1275–1325; Middle English heiro ( u ) n, hero ( u ) n < Middle French hairon ( French héron ) < Germanic; compare Old High German heigir

Explanation

Herons are birds that use their long legs to wade in marshes, ponds, and along the coastline. There are herons living on every single continent except Antarctica. There are dozens of heron species, ranging from medium-sized to the impressive goliath heron, which stands five feet tall. All of these shorebirds have long legs, long necks, and a wide wingspan. When a heron stands upright, it holds its neck in a distinctive S-shape, but when it flies, it tucks its head tightly up against its body. Heron is from the Old French hairon, which may derive from an imitative root mimicking the cry of a heron.

Example Sentences

Heron Power, a start-up focused on making solid-state transformers for data centers, has been raising money at a fast clip from big name investors.

From Barron's • Jun. 4, 2026

The company said this was driven by total value and volume growth in both B&M businesses, which was partially offset by a 0.3% revenue decline at Heron Foods.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 3, 2026

"Around half of reef locations affected by bleaching-level heat stress were exposed twice or more during the three-year event -- often with devastating consequences," said Scott Heron, professor of physics at James Cook University.

From Science Daily • Feb. 12, 2026

Nighthawk, which follows IBM’s Heron processor, is slated to be available to IBM users by the end of this year, the company said.

From MarketWatch • Nov. 12, 2025

Tom Warrups did spare work for Mr. Heron; sometimes he ran messages for him, too.

From "My Brother Sam is Dead" by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier