hero
[noun]
Synonyms:
- idol, champion, conqueror, star, superstar, victor
- leading man, protagonist

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

he‧ro W3 /ˈhɪərəʊ $ ˈhɪroʊ/ noun (plural heroes) [countable]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: Latin; Origin: heros, from Greek]

1. a man who is admired for doing something extremely brave ⇒ heroine:
He had dared to speak out against injustice, and overnight he became a national hero.
His father was a war hero, a former fighter pilot.
the unsung heroes who drove convoys of aid to Bosnia
hero of
a hero of the Great War
A man hailed as a hero for 50 years has been unmasked as a traitor.

2. the man or boy who is the main character in a book, film, play etc ⇒ heroine
hero of
Phileas Fogg, hero of Jules Verne’s ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’

3. a man who is admired very much for a particular skill or quality ⇒ heroine
sb’s hero
When I was small, Uncle Fred was my hero.
hero of
Einstein is the hero of those who explore science at its deepest level.

4. American English a long thin sandwich filled with meat, cheese etc

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

hero
noun
ADJ. big, great He was one of the great football heroes of his day.
real | all-time Einstein is the all-time hero of many scientists.
unsung She was an unsung hero of the British film industry.
reluctant, unlikely | brave, gallant The song remembers the brave heroes who died for their country.
romantic, tragic Being short and overweight, he was an unlikely romantic hero.
square-jawed, swashbuckling Tired of playing the square-jawed hero, he sought out more challenging roles.
all-conquering, conquering In his war stories he portrayed himself as the all-conquering hero. He returned home from the tournament a conquering hero.
fallen a fallen hero trying to regain his position
cult James Dean was a cult hero of the fifties.
folk, local, national, popular | fictional, legendary, mythical | eponymous Don Quixote, the eponymous hero of the novel by Cervantes
boyhood, childhood Bugs Bunny was one of my childhood heroes.
proletarian, working-class | military | celluloid | musical In this album she pays tribute to her musical heroes.
film, football, guitar, sporting, war Jimi Hendrix was her guitar hero.
VERB + HERO be hailed (as) He was hailed as a hero after the rescue.
become, make sb into, turn sb into The fight to save the forest turned him into a local hero.
die He died a national hero.
PREP. ~ to He was a hero to all his schoolmates.
PHRASES be no hero John was no hero?he stood back as his friends approached the two armed border guards.
give sb/receive a hero's welcome, hero of the hour Everyone played brilliantly, but Jones was the hero of the hour.
(die) a hero's death

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hero

a real/true hero
The real heroes were the guys who fought in the front lines.
a great hero
He finally got to meet his great hero, the Brazilian footballer, Pele.
a national hero
They regard Aung San as a national hero and martyr.
a local hero
Richards was a local hero, a star of the football club.
a popular hero (=someone whom many people admire)
Ross was an arctic explorer and popular hero.
a cult hero (=someone who a particular group of people admire)
He became a cult hero among surfers.
a war hero (=a soldier who was very brave in a war)
Coming home, he was hailed as a war hero.
an unsung hero (=someone whose bravery or effort is not noticed or recognized)
These volunteers are the unsung heroes of the campaign.
an unlikely hero (=someone who you did not expect to be brave or did not expect to admire )
Baxter was the unlikely hero of the game.
a sporting hero (=someone who people admire in a sport)
Tiger Woods was his sporting hero.
a folk hero (=an ordinary person who does something brave and becomes a hero in a particular place)
Cesar Chavez has folk hero status in the Latino community.
an accidental hero (=someone who becomes a hero by chance)
He became an accidental hero after discovering the injured child while out walking.
a conquering hero (=someone who has defeated someone else)
Team members were greeted like conquering heroes on their return.
sb’s boyhood/childhood hero (=someone who was your hero when you were a boy/child)
McEnroe had been one of his boyhood heroes.
become a hero
He became a national hero for his part in the war.
be hailed (as) a hero (=people say you are a hero)
He was hailed a hero after saving the young girl’s life.
get/be given a hero’s welcome (=be treated as a hero when you arrive somewhere)
The team were given a hero’s welcome when they returned to the city.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲