A hero (masculine) or heroine (feminine) is a person or main character of a literary work who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, bravery or strength, often sacrificing his or her own personal concerns for some greater good.
a man distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength
RAF pilots were the heroes of the Battle of Britain
the principal character in a play or movie or novel or poem
someone who fights for a cause
synonymous: champion, fighter, paladin
Greek mathematician and inventor who devised a way to determine the area of a triangle and who described various mechanical devices (first century)
synonymous: Heron, Hero of Alexandria
(classical mythology) a being of great strength and courage celebrated for bold exploits; often the offspring of a mortal and a god
(Greek mythology) priestess of Aphrodite who killed herself when her lover Leander drowned while trying to swim the Hellespont to see her
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