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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
superman
noun
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ Do you want to make it possible to rear a race of supermen?
▪ I wanted him to know that there could be a darker side, then he went into superman mode.
▪ In the real world it did not require a superman to beat Mr Kinnock.
▪ It is not for the superstar, nor for the superman.
▪ The superman testing himself with an ax, crushing the skulls of old women.
▪ The rest are more like the pagan gods - supermen and super women.
▪ We live, you and I, Herr Diamond, in the higher realms of the superman.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
Superman

Superman \Su"per*man`\, n.

  1. same as Overman, above.

  2. a fictional character of cartoons, movies and television, with superhuman powers such as great strength, the ability to fly, and x-ray vision. In the cartoon tale, he was born on the planet Krypton and sent by his parents into space before it exploded, and landed on earth, where he fights for "truth, justice, and the American way". He works incognito as a reporter at the Daily Planet, and is constantly trying to avoid the uncovering of his secret identity by a co-worker, Lois Lane.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
superman

1903, coined by George Bernard Shaw to translate German Übermensch, "highly evolved human being that transcends good and evil," from "Thus Spake Zarathustra" (1883-91), by Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900). First used in German by Hermann Rab (1520s), and also used by Herder and Goethe. Translated as overman (1895) and beyond-man (1896) before Shaw got it right in his play title "Man and Superman" (1903). Application to comic strip hero is from 1938.\n\nSo was created ... Superman! champion of the oppressed, the physical marvel who had sworn to devote his existence to helping those in need!

["Action Comics," June 1, 1938]

Wiktionary
superman

n. 1 (context chiefly philosophy English) An imagined superior type of human being representing a new stage of human development; übermensch. 2 A person of extraordinary or seemingly superhuman powers. 3 (plural '''supermans''') A motorcycling stunt in which the rider releases both hands from the handlebars in mid-air.

WordNet
superman
  1. n. a person with great powers and abilities [syn: demigod, Ubermensch]

  2. street name for lysergic acid diethylamide [syn: acid, back breaker, battery-acid, dose, dot, Elvis, loony toons, Lucy in the sky with diamonds, pane, window pane, Zen]

Wikipedia
Superman (1978 film)

Superman (marketed as Superman: The Movie) is a 1978 superhero film directed by Richard Donner. It is based on the DC Comics character of the same name and stars Marlon Brando, Gene Hackman, Christopher Reeve, Margot Kidder, Glenn Ford, Phyllis Thaxter, Jackie Cooper, Trevor Howard, Marc McClure, Terence Stamp, Valerie Perrine, and Ned Beatty. The film depicts Superman's origin, including his infancy as Kal-El of Krypton and his youthful years in the rural town of Smallville. Disguised as reporter Clark Kent, he adopts a mild-mannered disposition in Metropolis and develops a romance with Lois Lane, while battling the villainous Lex Luthor.

Several directors, most notably Guy Hamilton, and screenwriters ( Mario Puzo, David and Leslie Newman, and Robert Benton), were associated with the project before Donner was hired to direct. Tom Mankiewicz was drafted in to rewrite the script and was given a " creative consultant" credit. It was decided to film both Superman and Superman II simultaneously, with principal photography beginning in March 1977 and ending in October 1978. Tensions arose between Donner and the producers, and a decision was made to stop filming the sequel—of which 75 percent had already been completed—and finish the first film.

The most expensive film made up to that point, with a budget of $55 million, Superman was released in December 1978 to critical acclaim and financial success, earning $300 million during its original theatrical run. Reviewers particularly praised Reeve's performance. It was nominated for three Academy Awards including Best Film Editing, Best Music (Original Score), and Best Sound Mixing, and received a Special Achievement Academy Award for Visual Effects. Groundbreaking in its use of special effects and science fiction/fantasy storytelling, the film's legacy presaged the mainstream popularity of Hollywood's superhero film franchises.

Superman (disambiguation)

Superman is DC comic book superhero.

Superman may also refer to:

Superman (Eminem song)

"Superman" is a song by American rapper Eminem. It features backing vocals from frequent collaborator, singer Dina Rae and was released in January 2003 as a single from the album in the U.S. only, peaking at number fifteen and forty-two on the Billboard Hot 100 and New Zealand, respectively. The single is taken from Eminem's fourth studio album The Eminem Show, which was released in 2002.

Superman (Kemco game)
For other Superman video games, see List of Superman video games.

Superman is the title of an NES video game based on the popular DC Comics character and the first two films of the same name. The game is a combination of side-scrolling action mixed in with some puzzles. The Japanese Famicom release featured a synthesized version of the film's score, but in the US version, these songs are replaced by music recycled from Indora no Hikari, another Famicom game from Kemco.

Superman

Superman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, high school students living in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1933. They sold Superman to Detective Comics, the future DC Comics, in 1938. Superman debuted in Action Comics #1 ( cover-dated June 1938) and subsequently appeared in various radio serials, newspaper strips, television programs, films, and video games. With this success, Superman helped to create the superhero archetype and establish its primacy within the American comic book.

The origin story of Superman relates that he was born Kal-El on the alien planet Krypton, before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father Jor-El, moments before Krypton's destruction. Discovered and adopted by a Kansas farmer and his wife, the child is raised as Clark Kent and imbued with a strong moral compass. Very early on he started to display various superhuman abilities, which, upon reaching maturity, he resolved to use for the benefit of humanity through a secret "Superman" identity.

Superman resides and operates in the fictional American city of Metropolis. As Clark Kent, he is a journalist for the Daily Planet, a Metropolis newspaper. Superman's love interest is generally Lois Lane, and his archenemy is supervillain Lex Luthor. He is typically a member of the Justice League and close ally of Batman and Wonder Woman. Like other characters in the DC Universe, several alternate versions of Superman have been depicted over the years.

Superman's appearance is distinctive and iconic; he usually wears a blue costume with a red-and-yellow emblem on the chest, consisting of the letter S in a shield shape, and a red cape. This shield is used in many media to symbolize the character. Superman is widely considered an American cultural icon. He has fascinated scholars, with cultural theorists, commentators, and critics alike exploring the character's impact and role in the United States and worldwide. The character's ownership has often been the subject of dispute, with Siegel and Shuster twice suing for the return of rights. The character has been adapted extensively and portrayed in other forms of media as well, including films, television series, and video games. Several actors have portrayed Superman in motion pictures and TV series.

Superman (1940s cartoons)

The Fleischer Superman Cartoons are a series of animated short films released in Technicolor by Paramount Pictures and based upon the comic book character Superman, and making it his first animated appearance.

A total of seventeen shorts were produced. They were originally produced by Fleischer Studios, releasing the pilot and eight cartoons in 1941 and 1942 before being taken over in May by Famous Studios, a successor company, who produced eight more in 1942 and 1943. Superman was the final animated series by Fleischer Studios, before Famous Studios officially took over production.

Although all entries are in the public domain, ancillary rights such as merchandising contract rights, as well as the original 35mm master elements, are owned today by Warner Bros. Entertainment. Warner has owned Superman publisher DC Comics since 1969.

Superman (1999 video game)

Superman: The New Adventures, commonly referred to as Superman 64, is a 1999 adventure video game developed and published by Titus Software for the Nintendo 64 video game console. The game is based on the television series Superman: The Animated Series. Superman was first released in North America on May 31, 1999 and in Europe on July 23, 1999.

Development of the game was largely hampered by constraints from DC Comics and Warner Bros., resulting in it being unfinished and of a poor quality. BlueSky Software attempted to re-do the game for the PlayStation, but due to Titus' expiration of the Warner Bros. license by the time it was completed, it was cancelled.

In the game, Superman must rescue his friends from Lex Luthor, who has trapped them in a virtual version of Metropolis. It is infamous for the negative reception it received from critics and is considered one of the worst games of all time, being heavily criticized for its poor controls and graphics, technical bugs, glitches, gameplay, and difficulty. However, it sold well.

Superman (Earth-Two)

Superman of Earth-Two is a superhero in comic books published by DC Comics, who first specifically appeared in Justice League of America (volume 1) #73 (August 1969). He is a version of the Kryptonian superhero Superman from an alternate reality called Earth-Two. Unlike the Earth-One Superman, the Earth-Two Superman is portrayed as significantly older and is given the birth name of Kal-L.

Superman (franchise)

The American comic book character Superman has appeared in many types of media. Since his first comic book appearance in 1938, Superman has appeared in radio, television, movies, and video games each on multiple occasions, and his name, symbol, and image have appeared on products and merchandise.

Superman (It's Not Easy)

"Superman (It's Not Easy)" is a song written and recorded by American singer Five for Fighting. The lyrics focus on the iconic hero Superman, specifically how despite his immense power his life as a hero is surprisingly difficult. It was released in April 2001 as the second single from his album America Town. The song was first released in 2000, and debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 38 on October 27, 2001. It managed to peak at number 14 on the chart. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals at the 44th Grammy Awards in 2002.

Superman (The Clique song)

"Superman" is a 1969 song by the Texas band The Clique, made more famous in 1986 when it was recorded by R.E.M.

It was written by Mitchell Bottler and Gary Zekley and originally released as the b-side to The Clique's hit "Sugar on Sunday".

R.E.M. recorded it for their fourth album, Lifes Rich Pageant. It was released as a single and received a fair amount of radio play, but did not chart on the main U.S. singles chart, though it did reach #17 on Billboard magazine's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Superman (comic book)

Superman is an ongoing American comic book series featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name. The character Superman began as one of several anthology features in the National Periodical Publications comic book Action Comics #1 in June 1938. The strip proved so popular that National launched Superman into his own self-titled comic book, the first for any superhero, premiering with the cover date Summer 1939. Between 1986 and 2006 it was retitled The Adventures of Superman while a new series used the title Superman. In May 2006, it was returned to its original title and numbering. The title was canceled with issue #714 in 2011, and was relaunched with issue #1 the following month which ended its ran in 2016. In June 2016, a fourth series was launched with new issue #1.

Superman (Sunsoft game)

Superman (known in Europe as Superman: The Man of Steel) is the title of a video game released by Sunsoft for the Mega Drive/Genesis in 1992. It is based on the popular DC comic book characters of the same name and is a traditional single-player side-scrolling arcade game where the player controls Superman through various levels in an effort to defeat the evil supervillain named Brainiac. Other super villains, as bosses, include The Prankster, Metallo and Mr. Mxyzptlk.

This game was planned to be released on the SNES, but was cancelled sometime before it was completed. Versions of the game for the Sega Master System and Sega Game Gear were developed by Craftgold and published by Virgin Interactive in Europe as Superman: The Man of Steel, which was also the title received by the European Mega Drive version published by Virgin.

Superman (comic strip)

Superman was a daily newspaper comic strip which began on January 16, 1939, and a separate Sunday strip was added on November 5, 1939. These strips ran continuously until May 1966. In 1941, the McClure Syndicate had placed the strip in hundreds of newspapers. At its peak, the strip was in over 300 daily newspapers and 90 Sunday papers, with a readership of over 20 million.

During the National Comics Publications v. Fawcett Publications court case, the District Court ruled that McClure Syndicate failed to place the copyright notice on some of the strips and thus those strips are in the public domain.

Superman (arcade game)

Superman is an arcade Beat 'em up/ Shoot 'em up released by Taito Corporation in 1988. It is based on the popular hero icon Superman from DC Comics. Released in 1988 for the X System, The player assume the role of Superman, who must fight through five levels to make the world safe from the evil Emperor Zaas. The second player's red Superman is identical to the first player's blue Superman, except in appearance. However, the red Superman's presence is never explained in the game.

Superman (serial)

Superman (1948) is a 15-part black-and-white Columbia film serial based on the comic book character Superman starring an uncredited Kirk Alyn (billed only by his character name, Superman; but credited on the promotional posters) and Noel Neill as Lois Lane. Like Batman, it is notable as the first live-action appearance of the title character on film and for the longevity of its distribution. The serial was directed by Thomas Carr, who later directed many early episodes of the Adventures of Superman television show, and Spencer Gordon Bennet, produced by Sam Katzman and shot in and around Los Angeles, California. It was originally screened at movie matinées and after the first three scene-setting chapters, every episode ends in a cliffhanger. The Superman-in-flight scenes are animations, in part due to the small production budget.

Superman (TV series)

Superman is a 1988 American animated Saturday morning television series produced by Ruby-Spears Productions for Warner Bros. Television that aired on CBS featuring the DC Comics superhero of the same name (coinciding with the character's 50th anniversary, along with the live-action Superboy TV series that year). Veteran comic book writer Marv Wolfman was the head story editor, and noted comic book artist Gil Kane provided character designs.

Superman (Stereophonics song)

"Superman" is a song by the Stereophonics. It is the first track on their album, Language. Sex. Violence. Other?.

The song was second single from the album and was released on 20 June 2005, peaking at #13 on the UK Singles Chart. The song is featured on the live CD/DVD, Live from Dakota at which they opened with Superman, like they have done in many gigs since the release of the track. It was also featured in the 5th season episode "Splinter" of the television series Smallville.

Superman (Kal Kent)

Kal Kent is a superhero who appears in the DC Comics, created by Grant Morrison. He is the Superman of the 853rd century. He first appeared in DC One Million #1 in 1998.

Superman (gene)

Superman is a plant gene in Arabidopsis thaliana, that plays a role in controlling the boundary between stamen and carpel development in a flower. It is named for the comic book character Superman, and the related genes kryptonite (gene) and clark kent were named accordingly (although the latter turns out to just be another form of superman). It encodes a transcription factor (specifically a C2H2 type zinc finger protein). Homologous genes are known in the petunia and snapdragon, which are also involved in flower development, although in both cases there are important differences from the functioning in Arabidopsis. Superman is expressed early on in flower development, in the stamen whorl adjacent to the carpel whorl. It interacts with the other genes of the ABC model of flower development in a variety of ways.

Superman (Alison MacCallum album)

Superman is a compilation album by Australian rock and blues singer Alison MacCallum, released in 1979. It features all her hits on RCA plus a few selections from her acclaimed debut album.

Superman (Barbra Streisand album)

Superman is an album released in 1977 by American singer Barbra Streisand.

The single " My Heart Belongs to Me" became a hit in 1977, peaking at #4 on the US pop chart.

The album peaked at number 3 on the Top 200 LP Billboard album chart and on the UK Albums Chart at number 32. It has sold 2 million copies in United States and was certified 2× Platinum.

Superman (1941 film)

Superman is the first in the series of seventeen animated Technicolor short films based upon the DC Comics character Superman. Also known as The Mad Scientist, Superman was produced by Fleischer Studios and released to theaters by Paramount Pictures on September 26, 1941. Superman ranked number 33 in a list of the fifty greatest cartoons of all time sourced from a 1994 poll of 1000 animation professionals, and was nominated for the 1942 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Subject.

Superman (Lazlo Bane song)

Superman” is a song by the American band Lazlo Bane, from their album All the Time in the World. It is most noted for being the theme song to the American TV series Scrubs.

Superman (Gary Chaw album)

Superman is second album by Gary Chaw, which is released on 27 December 2006. After the hit success in his first album 格格 Blue, he came out with his second album of the same name. This is the second album he released in the same year.

Superman (Earth-One)

The Superman of Earth-One is the incarnation of Superman that existed during the Silver Age and Bronze Age publications of DC Comics.

Superman (Kingdom Come)

The Superman of Kingdom Come (usually referred to as Kingdom Come Superman) is a fictional character, an alternate version of Superman in the DC Comics universe. First introduced in Kingdom Come #1 (May 1996), Kingdom Come Superman was created by Mark Waid and Alex Ross.

Superman (Unwritten Law song)

"Superman" is a song by the San Diego-based rock band Unwritten Law, produced by Greg Graffin and released as the third single from the band's 1996 album Oz Factor.

Superman (Donna Fargo song)

"Superman" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Donna Fargo. It was released in December 1972 as the first single from the album My Second Album. "Superman" was Donna Fargo's third, consecutive number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for a single week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the country chart. The song was written by Fargo and Eddie Sauter.

Superman (1997 film)

Superman ( Malayalam: സൂപ്പർമാൻ) is 1997 Malayalam film by Rafi Mecartin starring Jayaram and Shobana in lead roles. The film was produced and distributed by Siddique, Lal and Azeez under the banner of Kavyachandrika Release.

Superman (Black Lace song)

"Superman" (also titled "Gioca Jouer") is a 1981 novelty song written by Italian musicians Claudio Cecchetto and Claudio Simonetti, most famous for the 1983 recording by Black Lace.

The UK single's B-side, "Teardrops in Your Eyes", was an original composition by Black Lace's Alan Barton and Colin Routh.

Superman (Crystal Kay song)

Superman is the first single by J-Pop/ R&B singer Crystal Kay with Universal after leaving Sony Music Entertainment Japan after 12 years, it is her 27th single overall.

Superman (Pepe Luis Soto song)

"Superman" is a 1977 novelty song written by Pepe Luis Soto and performed by Celi Bee and the Buzzy Bunch. Soto wrote the song which coincided with the release of the film of the same name. The single came from the album, Celi Bee and the Buzzy Bunch and was released on TK Records, The song became a disco hit, and along with the track, " One Love" peaked at number three on the disco chart. On other US charts, "Superman" went to #86 on the soul charts and #41 on the Hot 100.

(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman

"(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" is a song written by Ray Davies that was first released on the Kinks' 1979 album, Low Budget. The song, inspired by Superman: The Movie, employs a disco beat and lyrics that describe the singer's wish to be like the fictional character Superman ( Christopher Reeve). The song's disco style was created as a response to Arista Records founder Clive Davis's request for "a club-friendly record," despite Ray Davies' hatred of disco.

The song was released as the lead single from Low Budget, becoming a moderate hit in North America. It has since appeared on numerous compilation and live albums.

Superman (Arash album)

Superman is the third studio album by the Swedish-Iranian Arash (full name Arash Labaf) after self-titled Arash in 2005 and Donya in 2008.

The singles from the album include "Broken Angel", "Melody", "Iran Iran World Cup 2014", " She Makes Me Go" featuring Sean Paul, "Sex Love Rock n Roll (SLR)" featuring T-Pain.

Superman (1987 film)

Superman is a 1987 Hindi movie. Produced and directed by B. Gupta . The film stars Urmila Bhatt, Dharmendra, Puneet Issar, Sonia Sahni and Ranjeeta Kaur. Puneet Issar in lead role as Superman.

Superman (Volume 3)

Superman (Volume 3) is a Comic Book Ongoing Series that published after Flashpoint (Volume 2) event and one of The New 52 titles.

Usage examples of "superman".

If I were to rule in your favor, would Martha Fisher be the next bratling in a long and everlasting line of infant supermen applying to this and that and the other Court to have their legal majority ruled, each of them pointing to your case as having established precedence?

Would it not be better, finer, braver to leave the rubbish where it lies and walk out into the world a free untrammelled illiterate Superman?

Four seconds of soaring terror, his arms outstretched like Superman, or Christ, and then perhaps a microsecond of unimaginable pain.

This was another misconception many people had, assuming that a superman really could leap a mile or pick up a building by one corner or fight invincibly.

Perhaps we should see the first attempt at this uprooting of Anthropology - to which, no doubt, contemporary thought is dedicated -in the Nietzschean experience: by means of a philological critique, by means of a certain form of biologism, Nietzsche rediscovered the point at which man and God belong to one another, at which tile death of the second is synonymous with the disappearance of the first, and at which the promise of the superman signifies first and foremost the imminence of the death of man.

But when the Supermind comes down do you think that there would be no connection between man and superman ?

For the signs scratched upon the reverse of the medallion seemed to bear at least a superficial relationship with what had already been discovered about the country whereover the mental supermen ruled.

They come in ampule form, and when you pop them under your nose, for the next thirty minutes or so you feel like a cross between a Medal of Honor winner and Superman.

We had John Wayne, Betty Grable, Mickey Mouse, Roy Rogers, Superman, Dagwood and Blondie, the Andrews Sisters, and Captain Marvel.

They have much of the Straussian sleepy warmth and sweet harmonic color, much of the Straussian exuberance which at times so readily degenerates into the windy pride of the young bourgeois deeming himself a superman.

On the tenth pitch of the at bat, after fouling off four pitches with Superman swings, Sweeney takes a slider from Tam and golfs it off the 1-800-BAR-NONE sign, just over the left field wall.

Although the existence of the Eugenics Wars was well-known by the twenty-third century, most citizens of the late twentieth century were not even aware of the global struggle against Khan and his fellow supermen, seeing only scattered brushfire wars and random acts of terrorism.

Washington after discussions like this, she had increased admiration for the men all down the line who made aviation possible: the big companies that made the planes, the Senate committees that paid for them, the generals and admirals who fought to get the right ones, the gallant young men who flew them, and then that special breed of quiet supermen who drank beer in the kitchen on Saturday night and tested the untried planes on Monday morning.

September, when her new teacher asked each child what her parents did for a living, Kimberly declared that her daddy was Superman.

I guess I have this idea that telepaths ought to be some sort of supermen, and am rather disappointed that they are still totally human, full of passion for power and glory, just like anyone else.