noun
hero
HEER-roh
noun
1
A person admired for great courage, noble actions, or outstanding achievement.
"The firefighter who ran back into the burning building was hailed as a hero."
"To the kids on the street, the retired boxer was a local hero."
2
The main character in a story, film, or play.
"The hero of the novel spends the whole book searching for his missing brother."
3
A large sandwich packed with meats, cheese, and other fillings, also called a sub or hoagie.
"We split a hero from the deli for lunch."
verb
1
To treat someone as a hero, or to give something special prominence and attention.
"The marketing team decided to hero the new flavor on the homepage banner."
How to Use Hero
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishSomeone brave and admirable, or the main character of a story.
Common pairings
a war hero
the hero of the story
a hero sandwich
hero image
Word Forms
heroed past tense, heroes plural, heros plural, heroes singular, heros singular
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The firefighter who ran back into the burning building was hailed as a _____.
Etymology
From Old French heroes, ultimately from Latin hērōs, borrowed from Greek hḗrōs ("demi-god, hero").