superhero
Americannoun
noun
Other Word 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.
In the show, Nicolas Cage's character is a former vigilante known as The Spider, who is working through issues from his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city's only superhero.
From BBC • May 27, 2026
URUAPAN, Mexico — Grecia Quiroz sometimes felt like she was married to a superhero.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
“This ring? It’s the greatest weapon in the universe,” Kyle Chandler’s veteran superhero says to John Stewart, the new Lantern recruit played by Aaron Pierre.
From Los Angeles Times • May 18, 2026
With few exceptions, superhero movies rarely feature heroes dying.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 14, 2026
I could be like a superhero: You All Right Man.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
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.
