Adjacent Words

Hero definitions

	Tweet

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

HE'RO, n. [L. heros; Gr. a demigod.]
1. A man of distinguished valor, intrepidity or enterprise in danger; as a hero in arms.
2. A great, illustrious or extraordinary person; as a hero in learning. [Little used.]
3. In a poem, or romance, the principal personage, or the person who has the principal share in the transactions related; as Achilles in the Iliad, Ulysses in the Odyssey, and Aeneas in the Aeneid.
4. In pagan mythology, a hero was an illustrious person, mortal indeed, but supposed by the populace to partake of immortality, and after his death to be placed among the gods.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength; "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"
2: the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
3: someone who fights for a cause [syn: champion, fighter, hero, paladin]
4: Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century) [syn: Hero, Heron, Hero of Alexandria]
5: (classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god
6: (Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her
7: a 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 [syn: bomber, grinder, hero, hero sandwich, hoagie, hoagy, Cuban sandwich, Italian sandwich, poor boy, sub, submarine, submarine sandwich, torpedo, wedge, zep]

Merriam Webster's

noun (plural heroes) Etymology: Latin heros, from Greek h?r?s Date: 14th century 1. a. a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b. an illustrious warrior c. a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d. one that shows great courage 2. a. the principal male character in a literary or dramatic work b. the central figure in an event, period, or movement 3. plural usually heros submarine 2 4. an object of extreme admiration and devotion ; idol

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Latin, from Greek H?r? Date: 14th century a legendary priestess of Aphrodite loved by Leander II. biographical name or Heron 1st century A.D. Greek scientist

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. (pl. -oes) 1 a a man noted or admired for nobility, courage, outstanding achievements, etc. (Newton, a hero of science). b a great warrior. 2 the chief male character in a poem, play, story, etc. 3 Gk Antiq. a man of superhuman qualities, favoured by the gods; a demigod. Phrases and idioms: hero's welcome a rapturous welcome, like that given to a successful warrior. hero-worship n. 1 idealization of an admired man. 2 Gk Antiq. worship of the ancient heroes. --v.tr. (-worshipped, -worshipping; US -worshiped, -worshiping) worship as a hero; idolize. hero-worshipper a person engaging in hero-worship. Etymology: ME f. L heros f. Gk heros

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Hero He"ro, n.; pl. Heroes. [F. h['e]ros, L. heros, Gr. ?.] 1. (Myth.) An illustrious man, supposed to be exalted, after death, to a place among the gods; a demigod, as Hercules. 2. A man of distinguished valor or enterprise in danger, or fortitude in suffering; a prominent or central personage in any remarkable action or event; hence, a great or illustrious person. Each man is a hero and oracle to somebody. --Emerson. 3. The principal personage in a poem, story, and the like, or the person who has the principal share in the transactions related; as Achilles in the Iliad, Ulysses in the Odyssey, and [AE]neas in the [AE]neid. The shining quality of an epic hero. --Dryden. Hero worship, extravagant admiration for great men, likened to the ancient worship of heroes. Hero worship exists, has existed, and will forever exist, universally among mankind. --Carlyle.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(heroes) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. The hero of a book, play, film, or story is the main male character, who usually has good qualities. The hero of Doctor Zhivago dies in 1929. = protagonist ? villain N-COUNT 2. A hero is someone, especially a man, who has done something brave, new, or good, and who is therefore greatly admired by a lot of people. He called Mr Mandela a hero who had inspired millions. N-COUNT 3. If you describe someone as your hero, you mean that you admire them a great deal, usually because of a particular quality or skill that they have. My boyhood hero was Bobby Charlton... = idol N-COUNT: usu sing, with poss

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

n. 1. Brave man. 2. Principal character. 3. Illustrious personage, great man. 4. (Mythol.) Demigod, man of superhuman achievements.

Moby Thesaurus

Achilles, David, Hector, Roland, Samson, a man, acme, actor, antagonist, antihero, apotheosis, beau ideal, best type, big name, bit, bit part, brave, bulldog, cast, celebrity, champ, champion, character, chutzpanik, conquering hero, conqueror, conquistador, constellation, cue, cynosure, danseur noble, decorated hero, defeater, demigod, demigoddess, diva, easy winner, ego ideal, exemplar, fat part, feature attraction, feeder, fighting cock, figure, first tragedian, folk hero, galaxy, gallant, gamecock, god, goddess, godkin, godlet, godling, good soldier, great man, headliner, heavy, heavy lead, heroine, ideal, idol, immortal, important person, ingenue, jeune premier, knight, lead, lead role, leading lady, leading man, leading woman, lines, lion, luminaries, luminary, man of courage, man of mark, master, master spirit, mirror, name, notability, notable, paladin, pancratiast, paragon, part, person, person of note, personage, phoenix, piece, pleiad, pop hero, popular hero, popular idol, prima ballerina, prima donna, principal, protagonist, public figure, role, runner-up, shining example, shoo-in, side, singer, social lion, somebody, soubrette, stalwart, star, straight part, subduer, subjugator, superstar, supporting character, supporting role, sure winner, the brave, tiger, title role, top dog, triumpher, valiant, valiant knight, vanquisher, victor, villain, walk-on, walking part, warrior, winner, worthy