1. A person of exceptional courage, achievement, or noble qualities who is greatly admired
   "RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain"; "Marie Curie was one of her scientific heroes"
    
2. The principal character in a play, movie, novel or poem
   "Hamlet is the hero of Shakespeare's famous tragedy"
    
3. Someone who fights for a cause
   "He saw himself as a hero of environmental justice";
   - champion, fighter, paladin [archaic]
    
4. (classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god
   "Hercules is a well-known hero in Greek mythology"
    
5. [N. Amer] 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
   "He ordered a classic Italian hero with all the toppings";
   - bomber [US, informal], grinder [US, informal], hero sandwich [N. Amer], hoagie [N. Amer], hoagy [N. Amer], Cuban sandwich [N. Amer], Italian sandwich [N. Amer], poor boy [N. Amer], sub [N. Amer, informal], submarine [N. Amer], submarine sandwich [N. Amer], torpedo [US], wedge [US, informal], zep [N. Amer]

1. (Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her
    
2. Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)
   - Heron, Hero of Alexandria

Derived forms: heroes, Heros

Type of: adult male, artificer, bozo [N. Amer, informal], cat [N. Amer, informal], chappie [Brit, informal], character, defender, discoverer, geezer [Brit, informal], guardian, guy [informal], hombre [N. Amer, informal], inventor, leader, man, mathematician, mythical being, part, persona, protector, role, sandwich, sarnie [Brit, informal], shielder, sod [informal], theatrical role

Encyclopedia: Hero, Stephen