wannabe

[ won-uh-bee, waw-nuh‐ ]

/ ˈwɒn əˌbi, ˈwɔ nə‐ /

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See synonyms for: wannabe / wannabes on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural wan·na·bes.Informal.

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

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Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Sometimes wan·na·bee .

Origin of wannabe

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

Words nearby wannabe

wanker, Wankie, wanksta, wanky, wanna, wannabe, Wanne-Eickel, wannish, want, want ad, wantage

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use wannabe in a sentence

California's gubernatorial recall election has become a casting call for wannabes seeking a giant earned-media opportunity.
California recall election becomes circus of media spotlight seekers|Lachlan Markay|July 23, 2021|Axios
Meanwhile, Khazein allegedly researched routes the wannabe kidnappers could take from her Brooklyn home to the water to Venezuela and from there to Tehran.
Iran Hatched a Plan to Kidnap a Journalist in Brooklyn Over Regime Criticism: DOJ|Blake Montgomery|July 13, 2021|The Daily Beast
Unrated during the pandemicKnots of wannabe diners clog the entrance of what sounds like a nightclub but looks like the feedery it is, what with a big circular bar and servers crisscrossing the expanse with trays of food and not a little drama.
Count on crisp and juicy fried chicken at the bustling new Yardbird in D.C.|Tom Sietsema|June 25, 2021|Washington Post
With that, Franklin became not only a “flee,” but a wannabe cop killer, transformed by a radio call that described him as trying to hit an officer.
Minneapolis Police Were Cleared in the 2013 Killing of Terrance Franklin. A Video Complicates the Story—and Now the Case May Be Reopened|Josiah Bates|June 25, 2021|Time

He began shooting back-roads Alabama — notably signs and buildings — with a Brownie in 1958, the same year Andy Warhol first trained his Polaroid on New York celebs and wannabe “superstars.”
In the galleries: Perspectives on blending culture and identity|Mark Jenkins|December 11, 2020|Washington Post
What this essentially means is that superman-wannabe white people do not see my people as their equal.
Dear White People: Well-Meaning Paternalism Is Still Racist|Chloé Valdary|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Doane tweeted, “the film does make fun of Wannabe Berean unimaginative Christians who need to lighten up.”
Kirk Cameron Saves Christmas from Abominable Killjoys (Other Christians)|Brandy Zadrozny|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Mike Huckabee, the Fox News host and wannabe presidential contender, was governor of my home state, Arkansas, until 2007.
Arkansas’s Blue Collar Social Conservatives Don’t Know What’s Coming|Monica Potts|November 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was just another wannabe messiah who ended up on the wrong side of the authorities.
So-Called ‘Biblical Scholar’ Says Jesus A Made-Up Myth|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|October 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When the media show the hyper actions of these wannabe soldiers, public perception changes.
Ferguson Shows a Nation at War With Itself|Roland S. Martin|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for wannabe

wannabe

wannabee

/ (ˈwɒnəˌbiː) /

noun

informal

a person who desires to be, or be like, someone or something elsea group of Marilyn Monroe wannabes
(as modifier)a wannabe film star

Word Origin for wannabe

C20: phonetic shortening of want 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

wannabe

Origin of wannabe

Words nearby wannabe

Words related to wannabe

How to use wannabe in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for wannabe

wannabee

Word Origin for wannabe