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• hero
  hero

  noun

  a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.
• Hero
  Hero

  noun

  a priestess of Aphrodite who drowned herself after her lover Leander drowned while swimming the Hellespont to visit her.

Trivia Time

Hero is derived from the ancient Greek word hērōs. What does hērōs mean?

Test Your Knowledge

hero

¹ American  

[heer-oh] / ˈhɪər oʊ /

noun

• heroes,
  plural
• heros
  plural

1. a person noted for courageous acts or nobility of character.

   He became a local hero when he saved the drowning child.

2. a person who, in the opinion of others, has special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities and is regarded as a role model or ideal.

   My older sister is my hero.

   Entrepreneurs are our modern heroes.

3. an animal acknowledged for its courageous acts, devotion to duty, etc..

   This police dog hero was shot during the apprehension of a suspect.

4. the principal male character in a story, play, film, etc.

   Synonyms:

   star, lead

   Antonyms:

   heavy, villain

5. Classical Mythology.

   1. a being of godlike prowess and beneficence who often came to be honored as a divinity.

   2. (in the Homeric period) a warrior-chieftain of special strength, courage, or ability.

   3. (in later antiquity) an immortal being; demigod.

6. hero sandwich.

7. the bread or roll used in making a hero sandwich.

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adjective

1. being or relating to a person or animal noted for special achievements, abilities, or personal qualities, especially bravery or devotion to duty; heroic.

   A hero cat helped a firefighter spot a small child in a burning building.

2. (in advertising and marketing) especially notable, important, or central.

   Producing new hero content twice a year can help your brand grow.

   Your hero product should be obvious on your website.

verb (used with object)

1. to praise or treat as special; laud.

   We hero the moms who were writing parenting guides and giving advice to new mothers.

   Over the years, the judging panel has rightly heroed brands championing equal rights.

2. to bring to attention; highlight.

   These dishes beautifully hero the fresh organic ginger.

Hero ² American  

[heer-oh] / ˈhɪər oʊ /

noun

1. Classical Mythology. a priestess of Aphrodite who drowned herself after her lover Leander drowned while swimming the Hellespont to visit her.

2. Also Heron Hero of Alexandria, flourished 1st century a.d., Greek scientist.

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hero ¹ British  

/ ˈhɪərəʊ /

noun

1. a man distinguished by exceptional courage, nobility, fortitude, etc

2. a man who is idealized for possessing superior qualities in any field

3. classical myth a being of extraordinary strength and courage, often the offspring of a mortal and a god, who is celebrated for his exploits

4. the principal male character in a novel, play, etc

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Hero ² British  

/ ˈhɪərəʊ /

noun

1. Greek myth a priestess of Aphrodite, who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while swimming the Hellespont to visit her

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Hero ³ British  

/ ˈhɪərəʊ /

noun

1. 1st century _ad , Greek mathematician and inventor

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Hero Scientific  

/ hē′rō /

1. Greek mathematician who wrote on mechanics and invented many water-driven and steam-driven machines. He also developed a formula for determining the area of a triangle.

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Usage

Plural word for hero The plural form of the noun hero is heroes. The plurals of other singular words that end in -o are also formed in this way, including potato/potatoes, tomato/tomatoes, and echo/echoes. This can be confusing, because in some instances, words that end in -o are pluralized by simply adding an -s to the end, as in mango/mangos and flamingo/flamingos. However, the plural form heros is only valid when hero is used in the sense of a “hero sandwich.” This usage is very rare.

Gender

In its earliest use, the word hero was applied almost exclusively to a man. The corresponding word heroine was–and still is–reserved for a woman. Hero is still sometimes used to refer specifically to a man: British heroes and heroines. But hero is now considered to be a gender-neutral word, and is also increasingly used to refer to a woman: a list of American heroes; Joan of Arc, a French hero. In the sense "the principal character in a story, play, etc.," a hero is male and a heroine is female: Margaret is the novel’s heroine.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subhero
  noun
• unhero
  noun
• herolike
  adjective
• unherolike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• heroes
  plural
• heros
  plural

Etymology

Origin of hero

First recorded in 1605–15; back formation from Middle English heroes (plural), from Latin hērōs (singular), hērōes (plural), from Greek hḗrōs, hḗrōes

Explanation

Yes, a hero is a kind of sandwich. But when David Bowie sings, “We can be heroes,” he’s not talking about sandwiches. He’s talking about the more popular kind of hero — the kind who saves your life! A hero is someone who does fantastic things that people love. The guy who rescues a skater from a frozen pond is a hero. A hero can be the main character of a story, too, if people root for him. Spiderman is the hero of the comic series: he's the central character, but he also saves people. The word hero goes back to the Greek, referring to a demigod.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hero Hero heroes heros

The killers of "hero" PC Andrew Harper are due to be released and the red-top reports that Prime Minister Andy Burnham could be taken to court by "furious cops".

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

They held up flags, piñatas and tall signs pasted with images of Dr. Simi and “Dragonball Z” hero Goku — used to mark one’s place in the sea of people.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

"Spider-Man" -- the ninth live-action film featuring the hero, previously played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield -- earned an additional $573 million abroad, according to industry tracker Exhibitor Relations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 2, 2026

Only a true and blustery hero can string it, much as we believe that only Damon can win a knife fight by wielding a pen.

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

Now I just need a reason for my hero to find a large sack on a deserted tropical island!

From "Nim’s Island" by Wendy Orr

First came the Diona, then the Hero II and the Sonia 1.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026

Other awards included being named an official National Hero by the Barbados parliament, and an Officer of the Order of Australia, having acquired dual Australian citizenship through his marriage to Prudence Kirby.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

MWB downgrades Delivery Hero stock recommendation to sell from hold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Tyler, born Gaynor Hopkins - also known for hits including Holding Out For A Hero and Here She Comes - is survived by her husband of more than 50 years, Robert Sullivan.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

Claudio and Hero—Shakespeare wasn’t all that good about his names—Claudio and Hero would have a whole lot to do just to get up to where Romeo and Juliet were.

From "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt

What on Earth possessed Nolan, a notoriously detail-oriented director, to tap the all-purpose flour of movie stars to portray one of the most storied heroes in literature?

From Salon ● Aug. 2, 2026

I also want to acknowledge the heroes who delivered on high-speed wind noise.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 1, 2026

Unlike a Bollywood catchphrase or a cricketing cliché, it isn't coined by scriptwriters or sporting heroes.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Saar made the piece for the show, which issued an open invitation to Black artists to create work about Black heroes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026

They knew the greatest heroes didn’t get happy endings.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

“Your life will be a story. It will be your story, with its highs and lows, its heros and villains, its forks in the road that mean everything.”

From Washington Post ● Apr. 1, 2023

To mix it up, leftovers can easily be made into meatball heros.

From Salon ● Aug. 28, 2021

I’m sure the jobless, teachers, medical heros and first responders can sleep well tonight knowing these two gentlemen can survive.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2020

Have one of their fabulous heros or hot dishes, then peruse the varied dried pasta section.

From New York Times ● Jan. 23, 2018

But the two heros of the meeting had good sea-legs.

From From the Earth to the Moon; and, Round the Moon by Verne, Jules

Related Words

• eidolon
• example
• exemplar
• good example
• icon
• ideal
• idol
• model
• paragon
• person to look up to
• role model
• shining example