Hercules

noun

Her·​cu·​les ˈhər-kyə-ˌlēz How to pronounce Hercules (audio)
1
: a mythical Greek hero renowned for his great strength and especially for performing 12 labors imposed on him by Hera
2
[Latin (genitive Herculis)] : a northern constellation between Corona Borealis and Lyra

Examples of Hercules in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The Coast Guard also deployed a HC-130 Hercules airplane from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City in North Carolina. Stephen Sorace, Fox News, 5 Mar. 2024 Image Julius Pollux, a Greek scholar and grammarian from the second century A.D., attributed the discovery of the color to Tyrian Hercules, known to the Phoenicians as Melqart, guardian deity of Tyre. Franz Lidz, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2024 But policing thousands of people in a small space would seem to be a labor Hercules would turn his back on. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2024 In addition, Oliver — who was also a writer and producer — appeared in the films Valkyrie, The Baby-Sitters Club, Hercules Reborn, and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Ew Staff, EW.com, 23 Feb. 2024 How exactly the motif spread to the broader world — and became wrapped up in the popular mythology of Hercules — remains unknown, Uehlinger said. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 In the late 1700s, George Washington’s chef was the enslaved Black man Hercules Posey, who has largely been lost to history. Tori Latham, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2024 The other Fountain Valley section champions Saturday were Anthony Lucio at 126 pounds, Hercules Windrath at 138, Rocky Windrath at 165 and Khale McDonnell at 190 pounds. Steve Fryer, Orange County Register, 10 Feb. 2024 Haynes wrestled for the World Wrestling Federation, now known as WWE, from 1986 to 1988, and notably faced off against Hercules Hernandez at WrestleMania III. Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 12 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'Hercules.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin, from Greek Hēraklēs

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of Hercules was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near Hercules

Cite this Entry

“Hercules.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Hercules. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

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