Macbeth

American  

[muhk-beth, mak-] / məkˈbɛθ, mæk- /

noun

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

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

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Macbeth British  

/ məkˈbɛθ, mæk- /

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

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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!”

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Macbeth

The landscape was bleak even before Macbeth heard the fateful prophecy and embarked on his murderous adventure—Ms. Proske’s production suggests that the impulse toward tyranny never ends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 24, 2026

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

Ibsen’s tragic anti-heroine shares character DNA with Medea and Lady Macbeth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 25, 2026

Parting may have been sweet sorrow for young lovers Romeo and Juliet, but when Shakespeare's famous line is uttered by traitor Alan Carr, it's more like murderous Macbeth.

From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2025

They had been at this reading for six years and were halfway through the Bible and up to Macbeth in Shakespeare’s Complete Works.

From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith