wannabe
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of wannabe
First recorded in 1980–85; derivative of (I) wanna be…
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.
MPs, councillors and ministers I've talked to are all frustrated by the speculation, with no little irritation towards the wannabe contenders in a leadership race.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
When Tomas Cvancara stretched his neck and planted a header on Craig Gordon's crossbar an hour into this exhilarating clash of the champions and the wannabe champions, a sense of shock swept around Tynecastle.
From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026
I was a young wannabe filmmaker trying to learn how to make movies, and somebody like me was up there onstage telling a story about how he got there.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026
Is the owner an absentee plutocrat who texts “Sounds good” from Davos or a wannabe Rockne who played six or seven downs at Choate?
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026
“What kind of helpful information would be in books about a wannabe Chosen One who clams up when it’s time to stop the bad guy?”
From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
