Cleopatra

American  

[klee-uh-pa-truh, -pah-, -pey-] / ˌkli əˈpæ trə, -ˈpɑ-, -ˈpeɪ- /

noun

1. 69–30 b.c., queen of Egypt 51–49, 48–30.

2. a female given name: from Greek words meaning “fame” and “father.”

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cleopatra ¹ British  

/ -ˈpɑː-, ˌkliːəˈpætrə /

noun

1. a yellow butterfly, Gonepteryx cleopatra, the male of which has its wings flushed with orange

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Cleopatra ² British  

/ -ˈpɑː-, ˌkliːəˈpætrə /

noun

1. ?69–30 _bc , queen of Egypt (51–30), renowned for her beauty: the mistress of Julius Caesar and later of Mark Antony. She killed herself with an asp to avoid capture by Octavian (Augustus)

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Cleopatra Cultural  

1. A queen of Egypt (see also Egypt) in the first century b.c., famous for her beauty, charm, and luxurious living. She lived for some time in Rome with Julius Caesar. For several years after Caesar was assassinated, she lived in Egypt with the Roman politician Mark Antony. Antony killed himself on hearing a false report that she was dead. After Antony's death, Cleopatra committed suicide by allowing an asp, a poisonous snake, to bite her.

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Discover More

The play Antony and Cleopatra, by William Shakespeare, dramatizes Cleopatra's affair with Antony and her suicide.

Example Sentences

“Israel borders Egypt, and I grew up with so many stories about Cleopatra, and she’s like a household name,” she told the Hong Kong version of the fashion publication.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

In a 2023 Vogue interview about the project, the actress revealed that she had always had a fascination with Cleopatra, having heard so many stories about her as a child growing up in Israel.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 2, 2026

Fun facts about Cleopatra: Although associated in the public mind with ancient Egypt, she lived closer to our time than to the building of the pyramids of Giza.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 14, 2025

Megan Thee Stallion had one of the week's most eye-catching looks, a retrofuturistic fusion she described as "primitive space Cleopatra".

From BBC • Jan. 31, 2025

Cleopatra Cowley-Pendleton was a warm woman with a soft voice and close-cropped hair who worked in customer service at a credit rating company.

From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama