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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.

This year's Oscars have finally given us the Shakespeare and Albert Square crossover we've always wanted.

From BBC

A former Labour MP has revealed he recited Shakespeare from his hospital bed as he battled to get his speech back after suffering a stroke.

From BBC

Other winners included Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey, who was recognised for his leading role in a modern-dress production of Shakespeare's Richard II.

From BBC

The Irish actress, 36, has received a string of awards for her performance as William Shakespeare's wife Agnes Hathaway in Hamnet and is in the running for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

From BBC

"In a short time, the horses were taking up the middle of my notebook, and my Shakespeare notes - such as they were - were in the margins," he explained.

From BBC