Meanings
hero1
plural heroes · error unknown tag plural heros
- Somebody who possesses great bravery and carries out extraordinary or noble deeds.
My mom died a hero on duty.
5 more examples
"I'm no hero," insists freckle-faced 14-year-old Freddie Hanberry. But to many of the young cancer patients, nurses and staff at University Medical Center here, he is as close as you can get. The "hero" talk began when a national magazine featured Hanberry, who has leukemia, in a special section called "100 New American Heroes."
1986 August 10, “Cancer victim some kind of hero”, in The Advocate, Baton Rouge, LAEvery cancer victim is a true hero.
1993, Susanne Baxandall with Prasuna Reddy, The Courage to Care: The Impact of Cancer on the FamilyShe is my hero, my heart, my baby till the end of time,” said Gabby's father
2011 September 12, Eileen Faust, “5-year-old Phoenixville cancer victim loses fight”, in The MercuryEach flag represents a hero, Andrews said, whether a first responder or victim of 9/11, active, fallen, or retired military, special friend or family member.
2011 September 12, Jen Armstrong, “Sherrill honors heroes of 9/11”, in Oneida DispatchAt the time, with the D-Day invasion of Europe going on, their heroism was hardly noticed. Plenty of other heroes were dying elsewhere. Plenty of bigger bits of history were being made.
2022 January 12, Benedict le Vay, “The heroes of Soham...”, in RAIL, number 1948, page 43 - A role model.
- The protagonist in a work of fiction.
Satan is wrongly called the hero of Paradise Lost. He is really the villain-hero or the counter-hero
1992, Karuna Shanker Mishra, The Tragic Hero Through the Ages, page 2421 more example
However, even this great hero of the story is somewhat of a simpleton (when he lets himself be crucially deceived by Peacock Ravana in Vibhisana's shape), and a weakling (when in spite of all his strength he is almost beaten by his own son, one of the rākṣasas)
1987, Kamil Zvelebil, Two Tamil Folktales: The Story of King Matan̲akāma, The Story of Peacock Rāvaṇa, →ISBN, page xlii - New YorkA large sandwich made from meats and cheeses.
Synonyms: hero sandwich, more at submarine sandwich
- attributiveartsThe product chosen from several candidates to be photographed, as in food advertising, or with props used in a movie.
The food stylists this day had spent inordinate amounts of time preparing the hero product for a close-up scene.
2008, David Random, Defying Gravity, page 242 more examples
The preparation of the hero food involves any number of specialized techniques food stylists have developed to deal with the demands of photographing food.
2003, Solomon H. Katz, William Woys Weaver, Encyclopedia of Food and CultureProtect the hero food. Whether the hero items are on a table in the studio or in the refrigerator, freezer, etc., be sure they are identified as hero items and not for consumption.
2008, Linda Bellingham, Jean Ann Bybee, Brad G. Rogers, Food Styling for Photographers, page 8 - computingThe eye-catching top portion of a web page, sometimes including a hero image; the portion above the fold.
- cookingThe standout component of a dish; the part of a dish that should take center stage on the palate.
present singular third person heroes · present singular third person heros · participle present heroing · participle present rare heroeing · participle past heroed · past heroed
- informalintransitiveTo act as a hero (brave person; role model; or protagonist).
“I don’t think so.” He grinned hugely, revealing smoker’s teeth and halitosis that would fell a rhino. “I don’t think you want to be heroing off just yet. I don’t think you've had a good time in ages.”
2009, Kessler, Jackie (Jackie H.), Black and white, page 39
Hero2
- Greekhuman sciencesAny of a number of legendary men and women, including the priestess loved by Leander.
- rareA female given name from Ancient Greek of English-speakers.
You hear, Count Claudio: I can be secret as a dumb man; I would have you think so; but on my allegiance mark you this, on my allegiance: he is in love. With who? now that is your Grace's part. Mark how short his answer is: with Hero, Leonato's short daughter.
,Scene 1
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA large sandwich made from meats and cheeses.
sandwich
More synonyms by meaning
nouna large sandwich made of a long crusty roll split lengthwise and filled with meats and cheese (and tomato and onion and lettuce and condiments); different names are used in different sections of the United States
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
hero · noun, verb
- Proto-Indo-European*ser-“to watch over, protect”
- Ancient Greekἥρως“demi-god, hero”
- Latinhērōs“hero”
- Old Frenchheroes
- Middle Englishheroes
- Englishhero
From Middle English heroes, from Old French heroes, from Latin hērōs (“hero”), from Ancient Greek ἥρως (hḗrōs, “demi-god, hero”), possibly from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to watch over, protect”); if so, related to Latin servo (“protect”). Displaced Middle English heleð, haleð, from Old English hæleþ, hæle.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Hero · proper noun
- Ancient GreekἩρώ
- EnglishHero
From Ancient Greek Ἡρώ (Hērṓ).
More words from Ancient Greek
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Afrikaans held
- heldperson of great bravery
Ancient Greek ἥρως, μιμητός
- ἥρως (hḗrōs)person of great bravery
- μιμητός (mimētós)role model
Arabic بَطَل, بَطَلَة
- بَطَل (baṭal)person of great bravery
- بَطَلَة (baṭala)person of great bravery
- أَبْطَال (ʔabṭāl)person of great bravery
- نَصِير (naṣīr)protagonist
- بَطَل (baṭal)protagonist
- بَطَلَة (baṭala)protagonist
Basque heroi
- heroiperson of great bravery
Bengali বীর, আদর্শ পুরূষ
- বীর (bir)person of great bravery
- আদর্শ পুরূষ (adorśo puruś)person of great bravery
- চারিত্রিক (caritrik)protagonist
Bulgarian геро́й, герои́ня
- геро́й (gerój)person of great bravery
- герои́ня (geroínja)person of great bravery
- юна́к (junák)person of great bravery
- юнаки́ня (junakínja)person of great bravery
Catalan heroi, heroïna
- heroiperson of great bravery
- heroïnaperson of great bravery
- heroiprotagonist
- heroïnaprotagonist
Chinese Cantonese 英雄, 勇士
- 英雄person of great bravery
- 勇士 (jung⁵ si⁶)person of great bravery
Chinese Mandarin 英雄, 勇士
- 英雄 (yīngxióng)person of great bravery
- 勇士 (yǒngshì)person of great bravery
- 主角 (zhǔjué)protagonist
Czech hrdina, hrdinka
- hrdinaperson of great bravery
- hrdinkaperson of great bravery
- vzorrole model
- vzoryrole model
- hrdinaprotagonist
- hrdinkaprotagonist
- hrdinovéprotagonist
Danish helt, heltinde
- heltperson of great bravery
- heltindeperson of great bravery
Dutch held, heldin
- heldperson of great bravery
- heldinperson of great bravery
- heldprotagonist
- hoofdrolspelerprotagonist
Esperanto heroo, heroiĉo
- herooperson of great bravery
- heroiĉoperson of great bravery
- heroinoperson of great bravery
- heroorole model
- herooprotagonist
Estonian kangelane, sangar
- kangelaneperson of great bravery
- sangarperson of great bravery
- eeskujurole model
- peategelaneprotagonist
- peakangelaneprotagonist
Finnish sankari, sankaritar
- sankariperson of great bravery
- sankaritarperson of great bravery
- urhoperson of great bravery
- sankarperson of great bravery
- roolimallirole model
- esikuvarole model
- päähenkilöprotagonist
- sankariprotagonist
French héros, héroïne
- hérosperson of great bravery
- héroïneperson of great bravery
- protagonisteprotagonist
- hérosprotagonist
German Held, Heldin
- Heldperson of great bravery
- Heldinperson of great bravery
- Kriegsheldperson of great bravery
- Kriegsheldinperson of great bravery
- Heldprotagonist
- Hauptfigurprotagonist
Greek ήρωας, ηρωίδα
- ήρωας (íroas)person of great bravery
- ηρωίδα (iroḯda)person of great bravery
- πρότυπο (prótypo)role model
- ήρωας (íroas)role model
- ήρωας (íroas)protagonist
- ηρωίδα (iroḯda)protagonist
Hawaiian meʻe
- meʻeperson of great bravery
Hebrew גִּבּוֹר, גִּבּוֹרָה
- גִּבּוֹר (gibór)person of great bravery
- גִּבּוֹרָה (giborá)person of great bravery
- גִּבּוֹר (gibbór)protagonist
Hindi नायक, वीर
- नायक (nāyak)person of great bravery
- वीर (vīr)person of great bravery
- हीरो (hīro)person of great bravery
- महावीर (mahāvīr)person of great bravery
- शूरवीर (śūrvīr)person of great bravery
- महापुरुष (mahāpuruṣ)person of great bravery
- आदर्श पुरुष (ādarś puruṣ)person of great bravery
- बहादुर (bahādur)person of great bravery
- सूरमा (sūrmā)person of great bravery
- वीरपुरुष (vīrpuruṣ)person of great bravery
- धीर (dhīr)person of great bravery
- पहलवान (pahlavān)person of great bravery
Hungarian hős, hős
- hősperson of great bravery
- hősprotagonist
Icelandic hetja
- hetjaperson of great bravery
Indonesian pahlawan
- pahlawanperson of great bravery
Irish laoch, gaiscíoch
- laochperson of great bravery
- gaiscíochperson of great bravery
Italian eroe, eroina
- eroeperson of great bravery
- eroinaperson of great bravery
- eroerole model
- eroinarole model
- protagonistarole model
- eroeprotagonist
- eroinaprotagonist
- protagonistaprotagonist
Japanese 英雄, 勇者
- 英雄 (eiyū)person of great bravery
- 勇者 (yūsha)person of great bravery
- ヒーロー (hīrō)person of great bravery
- 主人公 (shujinkō)protagonist
Korean 영웅, 히어로
- 영웅 (yeong'ung)person of great bravery
- 히어로 (hieoro)person of great bravery
- 주인공 (ju'in'gong)protagonist
Latin hērōs, hērōis
- hērōsperson of great bravery
- hērōisperson of great bravery
Latvian varonis, varone
- varonisperson of great bravery
- varoneperson of great bravery
Lithuanian didvyris, didvyrė
- didvyrisperson of great bravery
- didvyrėperson of great bravery
- didvyriaiperson of great bravery
- herojusprotagonist
Malay wira
- wiraperson of great bravery
Māori toa, tuahangata
- toaperson of great bravery
- tuahangataprotagonist
- tuawahineprotagonist
Norwegian Bokmål helt, heltinne
- heltperson of great bravery
- heltinneperson of great bravery
- heltprotagonist
Polish bohater, bohaterka
- bohaterperson of great bravery
- bohaterkaperson of great bravery
- herosperson of great bravery
- bohaterprotagonist
Portuguese herói, heroína
- heróiperson of great bravery
- heroínaperson of great bravery
- heróirole model
- heróiprotagonist
- heroínaprotagonist
Punjabi ਹੀਰੋ, ਜੁਝਾਰੂ
- ਹੀਰੋ (hīro)person of great bravery
- ਜੁਝਾਰੂ (jujhārū)person of great bravery
- ਬਹਾਦਰ (bahādar)person of great bravery
- ਸੂਰਮੇ (sūrme)person of great bravery
Romanian erou, eroină
- erouperson of great bravery
- eroinăperson of great bravery
Russian геро́й, герои́ня
- геро́й (gerój)person of great bravery
- герои́ня (geroínja)person of great bravery
- геро́й (gerój)role model
- персона́ж (personáž)role model
- авата́р (avatár)role model
- гла́вный геро́й (glávnyj gerój)protagonist
- геро́й (gerój)protagonist
- гла́вная герои́ня (glávnaja geroínja)protagonist
- герои́ня (geroínja)protagonist
Scottish Gaelic gaisgeach, laoch
- gaisgeachperson of great bravery
- laochperson of great bravery
- gaisgeachprotagonist
- laochprotagonist
- ban-ghaisgeachprotagonist
Slovak hrdina, hrdinka
- hrdinaperson of great bravery
- hrdinkaperson of great bravery
Spanish héroe, heroína
- héroeperson of great bravery
- heroínaperson of great bravery
- héroeprotagonist
- heroínaprotagonist
Swahili shujaa
- shujaaperson of great bravery
Swedish hjälte, hjältinna
- hjälteperson of great bravery
- hjältinnaperson of great bravery
- hjälteprotagonist
Tagalog bayani, bida
- bayaniperson of great bravery
- bidaprotagonist
Tamil வீரன்
- வீரன் (vīraṉ)person of great bravery
Thai วีรบุรุษ, ฮีโร่
- วีรบุรุษ (wii-rá-bù-rùt)person of great bravery
- ฮีโร่ (hii-rôo)person of great bravery
Turkish kahraman, yiğit
- kahramanperson of great bravery
- yiğitperson of great bravery
- alpperson of great bravery
- bahadırperson of great bravery
- kahramanrole model
- idolrole model
- başkahramanprotagonist
- kahramanprotagonist
- protagonistprotagonist
Ukrainian геро́й, герої́ня
- геро́й (herój)person of great bravery
- герої́ня (herojínja)person of great bravery
Urdu نائِک, نایَک
- نائِک (nāik)person of great bravery
- نایَک (nāyak)person of great bravery
- وِیر (vīr)person of great bravery
- بَہادُر (bahādur)person of great bravery
- قَہْرْمان (qahrmān)person of great bravery
- پَہْلَوان (pahlavān)person of great bravery
- بَطَل (batal)person of great bravery
- یل (yal)person of great bravery
- گرد (gurd)person of great bravery
Vietnamese anh hùng
- anh hùngperson of great bravery
Welsh arwr, gwron
- arwrperson of great bravery
- gwronperson of great bravery
Yiddish העלד, גבור
- העלד (held)person of great bravery
- גבור (giber)person of great bravery
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with hero
All rhymes →Anagrams
Cite this entry
hero. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hero
“hero.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hero. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hero,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hero.
Source: hero on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.