hero sandwich

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableAmerican

   A long bread roll filled with meat, cheese, and vegetables, often served cold.

   Grammar: Countable: you can say a hero sandwich or two hero sandwiches.

   Patterns

   • a hero sandwich
   • hero sandwiches

   For lunch, I ordered a hero sandwich with turkey and Swiss cheese.

   The deli makes the best hero sandwiches in town.

   He packed a hero sandwich for the picnic.

2. 2nouncountableAmerican

   A large sandwich made with a long roll, typically containing multiple fillings.

   Grammar: Often used in the plural to refer to more than one.

   Patterns

   • a hero sandwich
   • hero sandwiches

   The menu listed a hero sandwich with salami, ham, and provolone.

   She cut the hero sandwich into pieces to share.

   We bought hero sandwiches for the road trip.

Word forms

Common combinations

order a hero sandwich

I think I'll order a hero sandwich for lunch.

make a hero sandwich

He made a hero sandwich with all the leftovers.

a hero sandwich with

She wanted a hero sandwich with extra pickles.

cut a hero sandwich

Could you cut the hero sandwich in half?

Synonyms and how they differ

submarine sandwich

The general term for a long sandwich on a roll; hero is mainly used in New York City and nearby areas.

sub

An informal shortening of submarine sandwich, common everywhere; hero is more specific to certain regions.

hoagie

The term used in Philadelphia and surrounding areas for the same type of sandwich.

grinder

A New England term for a hot or cold long sandwich; hero is more New York.

Commonly confused: hero sandwich or gyro? hero sandwich or hoagie?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “hero sandwich”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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