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Definition of hero noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

hero

noun
 
/ˈhɪərəʊ/
 
/ˈhɪrəʊ/
(plural heroes)
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  1. a person who is admired by many people for doing something brave or good
    • a war hero (= somebody who was very brave during a war)
    • a hero of the First World War
    • one of the country’s national heroes
    • His charity work has made him something of a local hero.
    • The Olympic team were given a hero's welcome on their return home.
    • Scientists like her are typically unsung heroes (= people who are not praised or famous but deserve to be).
    • He was hailed as a hero after the rescue.
    compare heroine (1) see also folk hero
    Extra Examples
    • Everyone played brilliantly, but Jones was the hero of the hour.
    • He returned home from the tournament a conquering hero.
    • He was hailed as a hero after the rescue.
    • He was one of the great football heroes of his day.
    • John was no hero—he stood back as his friends approached the two armed border guards.
    • O'Reilly enjoyed hero status based on his ability with a ball.
    • She was an unsung hero of the British film industry.
    • The fight to save the forest turned him into a local hero.
    • The song remembers the brave heroes who died for their country.
    • James Dean was a cult hero of the fifties.
    Topics Personal qualitiesa2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • great
    • genuine
    verb + hero
    • be hailed (as)
    • become
    • make somebody into
    hero + verb
    • battle
    • fight
    • rescue somebody
    hero + noun
    • status
    • figure
    • worship
    preposition
    • hero to
    phrases
    • be no hero
    • give somebody a hero’s welcome
    • receive a hero’s welcome
    See full entry
  2. the main character in a story, novel, film, etc., especially the main male character
    • The hero of the novel is a ten-year old boy.
    • action heroes like Chris Hemsworth
    compare heroine (2) see also anti-hero, superhero
    Extra Examples
    • Being shy and unassuming, he was an unlikely romantic hero.
    • Don Quixote, the eponymous hero of the novel by Cervantes
    • Tired of playing the square-jawed hero, he sought out more challenging roles.
    Topics Film and theatrea2, Literature and writinga2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • great
    • genuine
    verb + hero
    • be hailed (as)
    • become
    • make somebody into
    hero + verb
    • battle
    • fight
    • rescue somebody
    hero + noun
    • status
    • figure
    • worship
    preposition
    • hero to
    phrases
    • be no hero
    • give somebody a hero’s welcome
    • receive a hero’s welcome
    See full entry
  3. a person that you admire because of a particular quality or skill that they have
    • my childhood hero
    • hero to somebody He became a hero to millions for his decision to oppose the government's reforms.
    compare heroine (3)
    Extra Examples
    • a chance to meet his hero
    • Jimi Hendrix was her guitar hero.
    • In this album she pays tribute to her musical heroes.
    • His father was a hero figure to him.
    • Einstein is the all-time hero of many scientists.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • big
    • great
    • genuine
    verb + hero
    • be hailed (as)
    • become
    • make somebody into
    hero + verb
    • battle
    • fight
    • rescue somebody
    hero + noun
    • status
    • figure
    • worship
    preposition
    • hero to
    phrases
    • be no hero
    • give somebody a hero’s welcome
    • receive a hero’s welcome
    See full entry
  4. (also submarine, submarine sandwich, sub (all North American English))
    a long bread roll split open along its length and filled with various types of food
  5. Word OriginMiddle English (with mythological reference): via Latin from Greek hērōs.
See hero in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee hero in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
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