plural heroes
1
a
: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability
b
: an illustrious warrior
c
: a person admired for achievements and noble qualities
d
: one who shows great courage
2
a
: the principal character in a literary or dramatic work
—used specifically of a principal male character especially when contrasted with heroine
A special feature was the cliff-hanger ending when hero, heroine, or both found themselves confronting a violent demise …—
Ira Konigsberg
—now also used of a principal character who is femaleIra Konigsberg… action movies with female heroes are emerging more frequently, and with increasing quality.—William Bibbiani
William Bibbiani
b
: the central figure in an event, period, or movement
3
: a legendary priestess of Aphrodite loved by Leander
Examples of hero in a Sentence
Noun (1)
A motto of his hero, Thomas Edison, is inscribed on a favorite sweatshirt : "To invent you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."
—Britt Robson, Mother Jones, May/June 2008
Greater authors—Arthur Conan Doyle most notably—have been in the same dilemma when seeking closure. And, like Conan Doyle, Rowling has won imperishable renown for giving us an identifiable hero and a fine caricature of a villain, and for making a fictional bit of King's Cross station as luminous as a certain address on nearby Baker Street.
—Christopher Hitchens, New York Times Book Review, 12 Aug. 2007
Here's a novel by a decorated war hero with a fictional Middle Eastern desert war at its core. It pits an American-led coalition against a potentially lethal enemy …
—Lorenzo Carcaterra, People, 3 June 1991
Other physicists, long wedded to the notion that nothing can escape from a black hole, have generally come to accept that discovery. And the stuff emitted from little black holes (and big ones too, but far more slowly) is now called Hawking radiation. "In general relativity and early cosmology, Hawking is the hero," says Rocky Kolb, a physicist at Fermilab in Illinois.
—Leon Jaroff, Time, 8 Feb. 1988
He returned from the war a national hero.
the hero of a rescue
She was a hero for standing up to the government.
His father has always been his hero.
He has always been a hero to his son.
Britt Robson, Mother Jones, May/June 2008
Greater authors—Arthur Conan Doyle most notably—have been in the same dilemma when seeking closure. And, like Conan Doyle, Rowling has won imperishable renown for giving us an identifiable hero and a fine caricature of a villain, and for making a fictional bit of King's Cross station as luminous as a certain address on nearby Baker Street.
—Christopher Hitchens, New York Times Book Review, 12 Aug. 2007
Here's a novel by a decorated war hero with a fictional Middle Eastern desert war at its core. It pits an American-led coalition against a potentially lethal enemy …
—Lorenzo Carcaterra, People, 3 June 1991
Other physicists, long wedded to the notion that nothing can escape from a black hole, have generally come to accept that discovery. And the stuff emitted from little black holes (and big ones too, but far more slowly) is now called Hawking radiation. "In general relativity and early cosmology, Hawking is the hero," says Rocky Kolb, a physicist at Fermilab in Illinois.
—Leon Jaroff, Time, 8 Feb. 1988
He returned from the war a national hero.
the hero of a rescue
She was a hero for standing up to the government.
His father has always been his hero.
He has always been a hero to his son.
Recent Examples on the Web
Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Addison Barger, who'd been scuffling in August, played the role of late-game hero.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Addison Barger, who'd been scuffling in August, played the role of late-game hero.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hero
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The late, great Dan Gurney is one of the many racing heroes that Hoffner was worked with.
—Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Addison Barger, who'd been scuffling in August, played the role of late-game hero.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Noun
The late, great Dan Gurney is one of the many racing heroes that Hoffner was worked with.
—Bruce Martin, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Addison Barger, who'd been scuffling in August, played the role of late-game hero.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hero
Cite this Entry
“Hero.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
hero
noun
he·ro
ˈhē-rō 
ˈhi(ə)r-ō
plural heroes
1
a
: a mythological or legendary figure of great strength or ability
b
: an outstanding warrior or soldier
c
: a person admired for achievements and qualities
d
: one that shows great courage
the hero of a rescue
2
: the principal character in a literary or dramatic work
—used specifically of a principal male character especially when contrasted with heroine; now also used of a principal character who is female
3
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