# Shakespeare

/ˈʃeɪkˌspiɹ/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/shakespeare
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Senses

### 1. the person

noun · CEFR B1

the famous English writer who lived from 1564 to 1616 and wrote plays like Romeo and Juliet.

For teachers: the English playwright, poet, and actor William Shakespeare, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language.

- We are studying Shakespeare in our English literature class this term.
- Scholars continue to debate the extent of Shakespeare's collaboration with other contemporary playwrights on his later works.

### 2. his books and plays

noun · CEFR B2

the collection of plays and poems written by William Shakespeare.

For teachers: the collective body of work produced by William Shakespeare; used metonymically to refer to his texts or performances.

- I have a complete Shakespeare on my bookshelf at home.
- The director's bold interpretation of the text breathed new life into a Shakespeare that many critics had considered over-performed.

### 3. a great writer

noun · CEFR C2 · Literary

a writer who is as talented or famous as William Shakespeare.

For teachers: a person of comparable literary genius or historical significance to William Shakespeare.

- The critics are calling her the new Shakespeare of the twenty-first century.
- To label any contemporary novelist as a modern Shakespeare is to invite a level of scrutiny that few writers can survive.

### 4. to perform his plays

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical · Informal

to act in a play written by Shakespeare.

For teachers: to perform in or produce a theatrical work by William Shakespeare.

- The local theatre group loves to Shakespeare in the park every summer.
- The troupe spent the summer months touring the countryside, eager to Shakespeare for audiences who rarely saw professional theatre.

## Examples

- We are studying a play by Shakespeare in our English class.
- The local theater company is performing one of Shakespeare's comedies in the park this summer.
- Scholars continue to debate the extent to which Shakespeare collaborated with other contemporary dramatists on his later plays, such as The Two Noble Kinsmen.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.