wannabe

American  

[won-uh-bee, waw-nuh‑] / ˈwɒn əˌbi, ˈwɔ nə‑ /

Sometimes wannabee

noun

Informal.

plural

wannabes

1. one who aspires, often vainly, to emulate another's success or attain eminence in some area.

---

wannabe British  

/ ˈwɒnəˌbiː /

noun

1. informal

   1. a person who desires to be, or be like, someone or something else

      a group of Marilyn Monroe wannabes

   2. ( as modifier )

      a wannabe film star

---

Etymology

Origin of wannabe

First recorded in 1980–85; derivative of (I) wanna be…

Example Sentences

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

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

Like so many of us, Good could have stayed tucked safely away in her house, looking the other way while a bunch of hastily hired wannabe warriors terrorized her neighbors.

From Salon • Jan. 9, 2026

Ansari plays Arj, living a serious disconnection between his professional identity — wannabe Hollywood film editor — and how he actually exists: task-gigging for scraps and living in his car.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025

I know they were stretched thin, but you can’t leave an entire relief effort to a bunch of wannabe feds.

From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman

Related Words

• budding
• enterprising
• potential
• prospective