hero
noun (1)
he·ro
| \ ˈhir-(ˌ)ō
\
\
plural heroes
Definition of hero
(Entry 1 of 3)
1a
: 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
2a
: 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 female … action movies with female heroes are emerging more frequently, and with increasing quality.— William Bibbiani
b
: the central figure in an event, period, or movement
Hero
noun (2)Definition of Hero (Entry 2 of 3)
: a legendary priestess of Aphrodite loved by Leander
Hero
biographical name
He·ro
| \ ˈhē-(ˌ)rō
, ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\
, ˈhir-(ˌ)ō\
variants:
or Heron \ ˈhē-ˌrän
\
\
Definition of Hero (Entry 3 of 3)
1st century a.d. Greek scientist
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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
Recent Examples on the Web: Noun
Instead, Bach says, the poem strove to stoke revolutionary fervor and patriotism (the work was published just ahead of the Civil War) by presenting Revere as the ultimate American hero. — Meilan Solly, Smithsonian, "Exploring Paul Revere’s Legacy Beyond His Famed Midnight Ride," 12 Sep. 2019 Harry Nespoli, president of Uniformed Sanitationmen’s Association and chair of the Municipal Labor Committee, said sanitation workers were among the many unsung heroes of the attack. — New York Times, "Families of Sanitation Workers, Unsung 9/11 Heroes, to Get Health Benefits," 10 Sep. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hero.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for hero
hero
noun
English Language Learners Definition of hero
: a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities
: a person who is greatly admired
: the chief male character in a story, play, movie, etc.
See the full definition for hero in the English Language Learners Dictionary
hero
noun
he·ro
| \ ˈhir-ō
, ˈhē-rō\
, ˈhē-rō\
plural heroes
Kids Definition of hero
1
: a person admired for great deeds or fine qualities
We study heroes of our nation's history.
2
: a person who shows great courage
The firefighters were heroes.
3
: the chief male character in a story, play, or poem