good guy

Noun

good guy (plural good guys)

1. (informal) A hero, particularly a protagonist in a story.
   • And yet Jones is perfect in Fury Road, a deeply dangerous human weapon who, because of his infantile need for respect from his father, somehow turns out endearing even though we see him ripping an engine from the hood and throwing it at the good guys.2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road might already be the best action movie ever made”, in The Onion AV Club
   • “What stops armed bad guys is armed good guys,” Senator Ted Cruz suggested in the wake of the Uvalde shooting, echoing many other gun rights advocates over the years.2022 June 22, Larry Buchanan, Lauren Leatherby, quoting Ted Cruz, “Who Stops a ‘Bad Guy With a Gun’?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN
2. (informal) An all-around pleasant person; usually a man.
   • He was a good guy to visit with and be around.

   Synonyms:

   hero