a person admired for great courage, outstanding achievements, or noble character
After the fire, the neighbors called the brave firefighter a hero.
Many children view doctors who work in remote villages as heroes.
✦ From ancient Greek hḗrōs ‘protector, defender’. In classical myths, a hḗrōs was half-mortal, half-divine.
the main character in a story, play, or film, especially the one the audience wants to succeed
In the novel, the shy librarian is the unexpected hero.
Everyone cheered when the animated film's hero finally defeated the dragon.
a large sandwich filled with meat, cheese, and other toppings, also called a sub or hoagie
She ordered a turkey hero with extra pickles for lunch.
I grabbed a giant meatball hero from the corner deli.
✦ Originated in early-20th-century New York; one story says the big sandwich was as hefty as a ‘hero’.
a powerful, illegal, and highly addictive drug made from morphine, usually appearing as a white powder and injected, snorted, or smoked by users.
Many young people die every year from heroin overdoses.
The police seized a large quantity of heroin during the raid.
✦ Invented in 1898 by Bayer, a German pharmaceutical company, as a supposedly non-addictive painkiller and cough medicine to replace morphine. The name comes from 'heroic' because early testers reported feeling heroic after use.
showing courage and noble qualities like a hero.
The firefighter made a heroic rescue from the flames.
Her heroic defense of the village inspired the people.
✦ Late Middle English from Old French heroique, via Latin heroicus from Greek hērōikos, from hērōs ‘hero’.
