heroine

noun

her·o·ine | \ˈher-ə-wən,

ˈhir-, ˈhe-rə-

Definition of heroine

1a : a mythological or legendary woman often of divine descent having great strength or ability

b : a woman admired and emulated for her achievements and qualities American heroines such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Rosa Parks remembered as the heroine of the flood

2a : the principal female character in a literary or dramatic work the heroine of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

b : the central female figure in an event or period

Examples of heroine in a Sentence

The town remembered her as the heroine of the flood and erected a statue in her honor.

Recent Examples on the Web

In the movies, doesn’t the heroine rejoice at this news? — Pamela Rafalow Grossman, SELF, "I Couldn't Find Joy in Exercising After Cancer, Until I Did It in the Dark," 2 July 2018 The heroine is quick to assimilate, better than Imed, who struggles to reconcile his patriarchal African upbringing with his attraction to both Western culture and the two women. — Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader, "History repeats itself over and over again at the African Diaspora Film Festival," 8 June 2018 The tinny music in the music box is the theme from Swan Lake -- a ballet where the heroine is imprisoned in the body of a swan, stripped of her identity. — Rena Gross, Billboard, "10 Surprises From 'Handmaid's Tale' Season 2, Episode 8 'Women's Work'," 6 June 2018 Recall that in the film heroine Vicki Lester is driven by impresario Boris Lermontov to sacrifice everything but her art. — Allan Ulrich, San Francisco Chronicle, "Robert Dekkers’ ‘Red Shoes’ not quite the right fit at Diablo Ballet," 5 May 2018 Nadiya Savchenko is a former military helicopter navigator who became a Ukrainian heroine - and an MP - for her show of defiance whilst on trial in Russia. — Keri Blakinger, Houston Chronicle, "Huntsville prison hunger strike ‘essentially’ over, officials say," 20 Apr. 2018 But the comparison is strangely apt, because Sarah is the closest thing that Curtis's festive rom-com classic Love Actually has to a tragic heroine. — Emma Dibdin, Harper's BAZAAR, "#TheLIST:Ultimate Investment Pieces," 17 May 2017 Among all the talk of black bloods and gray skins and realms, there’s also the threat of a bizarre, surprise epidemic hovering over heroine Talon (Jessica Green). — refinery29.com, "All The Best Post-Apocalyptic TV Shows You Can Watch," 11 July 2018 Poverty, a sexist and racist recording industry and a terrifyingly abusive relationship — with her husband and mentor Ike Turner (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, a perceptive study in anger) — only make the show’s titanic heroine bigger and stronger. — Ben Brantley, New York Times, "Women Set London’s Stages Ablaze," 9 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'heroine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.