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Shakespeare

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

noun

  1. William, the Bardthe 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

Other Word Forms

  • pre-Shakespeare adjective

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.

Her Irish co-star Paul Mescal, who took on the role of Shakespeare, was nominated in the best supporting actor category but lost out to Stellan Skarsgård.

From BBC

The win for “Hamnet” brought Steven Spielberg to the stage because his company Amblin produced the film exploring family grief and the creation of a Shakespeare masterpiece.

From The Wall Street Journal

It follows the death of the 11-year-old son of William Shakespeare and his wife Agnes, which some believe led the Bard to write his play Hamlet.

From BBC

He said it was "amazing to bring Shakespeare to Belfast" and put his own stamp on it.

From BBC

The Trader Joe’s tote, which sells for $2.99 in the U.S., has joined the ranks of geographically specific status bags like those from London’s Daunt Books or Paris’s Shakespeare and Company.

From The Wall Street Journal