Meanings
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA large sandwich on a long thick bun.
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
The New York term hero is first attested in 1937. Unlikely to be related to gyro, since those were not well known in the US at the time.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
hero sandwich. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hero%20sandwich
“hero sandwich.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hero%20sandwich. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hero sandwich,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hero%20sandwich.
Source: hero sandwich on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.