Macbeth

American  

[muhk-beth, mak-] / məkˈbɛθ, mæk- /

noun

1. died 1057, king of Scotland 1040–57.

2. (italics) a tragedy (1606?) by Shakespeare.

---

Macbeth British  

/ mæk-, məkˈbɛθ /

noun

1. died 1057, king of Scotland (1040–57): succeeded Duncan, whom he killed in battle; defeated and killed by Duncan's son Malcolm III

---

Macbeth Cultural  

1. A tragedy by William Shakespeare, in which the Scottish nobleman Macbeth, misled by the prophecy of three witches and goaded on by his wife, murders the king and usurps the throne. Well-known lines from the play include “Lay on, Macduff” and “Out, damned spot!”

---

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Macbeth

Having starred in student productions of Macbeth and A Midsummer Night's Dream, Neill instead decided to embark on an acting career.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026

The most prominent American actor of the time, Edwin Forrest, and the British star William Charles Macready, were both playing Macbeth in New York at roughly the same time.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 30, 2026

Last year, the 18-year-old "second spear carrier" found himself playing the lead in the Royal Shakespeare Company's new production of Macbeth.

From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026

Placing herself in harm’s way numerous times throughout Season 2, Wednesday even lands herself in a coma at one point, and while she’s out, Morticia sits at her bedside and reads from Macbeth.

From Salon ● Sep. 6, 2025

“Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears ...” I always recited speeches from Macbeth and Julius Caesar, as those were the adults’ favorites.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah