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  • to-be
    to-be
    adjective
    future; soon to be the thing specified (usually used in combination).
  • -to-be
    -to-be
    adjective
    (in combination) about to be; future
Synonyms

to-be

American  
[tuh-bee] / təˈbi /

adjective

  1. future; soon to be the thing specified (usually used in combination).

    bride-to-be.
-to-be British  

adjective

  1. (in combination) about to be; future

    a mother-to-be

    the bride-to-be
"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

Etymology

Origin of to-be

First recorded in 1590–1600

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.

Toné! was born in 1986 when its to-be co-founders realized they could find success as their own entity.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 7, 2025

Lovers — former, and to-be — flirt in these gentle shadows; women swap stories about their home lives and their dreams; the employer exploits the laborers, and they, in turn, plot to steal his fruit.

From New York Times • Mar. 8, 2024

The company said certified or to-be certified pharmacy technicians who are responsible for administering flu and COVID-19 vaccines will be given $1,000 reward throughout a six-month retention period.

From Reuters • Sep. 17, 2021

“Well, clearly we wanted to keep the name, so they’ve pretty much removed us from voting so they could get rid of the name,” said Cody Carpenter, a junior to-be.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 5, 2013

But his jabbing at me about being late does not leave me much room for wanting to-be nice.

From "The Misfits" by James Howe

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.