hero

hero
he‧ro W3 /ˈhɪərəʊ $ ˈhɪroʊ/ noun (plural heroes) [countable]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
     

COLLOCATIONS

(for Meanings 1 & 3)

■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + 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.
■ verbs
   ▪ 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.
■ phrases
   ▪ 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.