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:
Some people will always want their superhero TV shows to feature battles and explosions every week.
From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026
The series has been lauded for elevating the superhero genre while presenting as a gritty crime drama.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026
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
All he and Taryn ever talked about was soccer and superhero movies.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
It is one of those moments where you realize it, particularly because we were three men, but also inside of the canon of these superheroes, it’s always a dad.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 5, 2026
It would also give David Ellison a vast entertainment empire that includes franchises such as Harry Potter, DC superheroes and “Game of Thrones,” as well as cable networks like CNN and Cartoon Network.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
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
Unlike so many other superheroes, Peter Parker is one of us.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
“I still have some of your drawings, you know. The ones of us as different superheroes are my favorites.”
From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman
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.
