The word hero’s is the singular possessive version of hero. E.g., “We gave him a hero’s welcome when he returned from college.” Furthermore, heroes’ is the plural possessive version. E.g., “The four deceased were given a heroes’ funeral.” Also, heroes is the regular plural of hero.
The following table provides a helpful summary of the four different versions of the term hero. The word hero is irregular, so you form the plural with “-es” rather than just “-s.”
| Singular | Hero |
| Plural | Heroes |
| Singular possessive | Hero’s |
| Plural possessive | Heroes’ |
Here are some examples so you can see how you can use the four forms correctly.
- Singular: Tom Hanks has always been a hero of mine.
- Plural: After winning the title, all people on the team are heroes.
- Singular possessive: Even though he died, they said it was a hero’s death.
- Plural possessive: The fans gave the team a heroes’ reception when they arrived home.
Despite there being singular and plural forms, a widespread phrase you will see and hear is:
- One of my heroes is Barrack Obama.
Although you are referring to one, people usually have more than one hero. Also, the word one makes the sentence singular, so you must use a singular verb.
Perhaps you still have doubts regarding how to use the possessive forms of hero correctly. In that case, please read the rest of the article, where we explain the uses of the possessive forms of hero in more detail.
Hero’s
The term hero’s is the singular possessive form of hero. There are two main ways in which people use the term hero’s.
Firstly, when you describe something that you give to a hero or something experienced by a hero. This can include things like awards, welcomes, deaths, or funerals.
- The Police Department gave John a hero’s award for bravery when he retired.
Secondly, you can use hero’s in the same way you would use a normal possessive. I.e., to mention something owned by one of your heroes.
- The Beatles were my hero’s favorite band.
- My hero’s house is in Los Angeles.
Heroes’
The term heroes’ is the plural possessive form of hero. Similarly to the singular version, people use the term heroes’ to indicate one of two things.
The first is that some heroes underwent some type of experience or event.
- The Heroes’ Party for veterans will take place in the town hall this Saturday.
Secondly, you can use heroes’ to indicate that a group of heroes possesses something in a more traditional sense.
- We will not forget the war heroes’ efforts.
- The heroes’ badges were shining under the spotlight.
Heroes
The term heroes is the standard plural version of hero. Therefore, you can use it to discuss a plural number of heroes.
For example:
- My parents are my heroes.
- The whole staff at the local hospital are heroes for saving lives.
Furthermore, another common way in which people use the term heroes is to say the following:
- One of my heroes is Nelson Mandela.
In the above example, despite having a plural verb, you are obviously only mentioning one hero.