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:
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
A subversive, funny new show: HBO’s new Sunday night series Lanterns is the spiritual successor to Watchmen: a superhero show for people who don’t think they like superhero shows.
From Slate ● Aug. 17, 2026
The dweeb so desperately wanted to be a superhero that he launches a war against real ones in order to turn their powers into weapons he then sells to a gullible public.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 15, 2026
Mr. Pierre is solid, stolid superhero material; Mr. Chandler is pure mischief.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
In his first days at home, Elisha found himself lionized in the papers as an American superhero, and in a serious fight with his family.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
It had made small, successful deals for the companies behind Star Wars and Marvel superheroes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 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
"I always wanted to do comedy. I mean, I've always done action my whole life," where playing superheroes felt "inevitable."
From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026
Maybe superheroes just tied their blankies around their necks so they’d have a little bit of comfort wherever they went.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
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.
