Macbeth

American

[muhk-beth, mak-] / məkˈbɛθ, mæk- /

noun

died 1057, king of Scotland 1040–57.
(italics) a tragedy (1606?) by Shakespeare.

Macbeth British

/ mæk-, məkˈbɛθ /

noun

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

"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

Macbeth Cultural

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 25, 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

"He was overwhelmed by personal ambition in a Macbeth type way," one shadow cabinet minister claimed.

From BBC • Jan. 15, 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

Over the next week Maddie pieced together the pilot’s story in a storm of newspaper clippings with the mental wolfishness of Lady Macbeth.

From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023