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Shakespeare

American  
[sheyk-speer] / ˈʃeɪk spɪər /
Or Shakspere,

noun

  1. William, the Bard of Avon, 1564–1616, English poet and dramatist.


Shakespeare British  
/ ˈʃeɪkspɪə /

noun

  1. William. 1564–1616, English dramatist and poet. He was born and died at Stratford-upon-Avon but spent most of his life as an actor and playwright in London. His plays with approximate dates of composition are: Henry VI, Parts I–III (1590); Richard III (1592); The Comedy of Errors (1592); Titus Andronicus (1593); The Taming of the Shrew (1593); The Two Gentlemen of Verona (1594); Love's Labour's Lost (1594); Romeo and Juliet (1594); Richard II (1595); A Midsummer Night's Dream (1595); King John (1596); The Merchant of Venice (1596); Henry IV, Parts I–II (1597); Much Ado about Nothing (1598); Henry V (1598); Julius Caesar (1599); As You Like It (1599); Twelfth Night (1599); Hamlet (1600); The Merry Wives of Windsor (1600); Troilus and Cressida (1601); All's Well that ends Well (1602); Measure for Measure (1604); Othello (1604); King Lear (1605); Macbeth (1605); Antony and Cleopatra (1606); Coriolanus (1607); Timon of Athens (1607); Pericles (1608); Cymbeline (1609); The Winter's Tale (1610); The Tempest (1611); and, possibly in collaboration with John Fletcher, Two Noble Kinsmen (1612) and Henry VIII (1612). His Sonnets, variously addressed to a fair young man and a dark lady, were published in 1609

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

That winter, he and Chakrabarti pored over the works of Paul Cret, the French-American architect who designed the Federal Reserve, the Folger Shakespeare Library and other buildings around Washington and beyond.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 13, 2026

In the summer, there’s a free Shakespeare festival in that same park.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 12, 2026

Oscar-nominee Madden, whose work includes Shakespeare in Love and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, said he was looking forward to telling Tony and Emma's story.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

The actor gives a distinguished, surprising performance as the jealous general in Simon Godwin’s superb production at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Or you might prefer to peek over the shoulder of Shakespeare as he composed his sonnets, and make helpful suggestions regarding the poetic meter.

From "The Interrupted Tale" by Maryrose Wood

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