wannabe
Americannoun
noun
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.
Ruth, a fashion designer who quits the high-pressure world to become a teacher, acts as a contrast to the hustle culture-inspired ambitions of wannabe billionaire Becket, Henwick says.
From BBC • Mar. 11, 2026
Unless an unexpected candidate decides to take the plunge, and goodness knows what could happen these days, a change at the top doesn't seem likely to be prompted by the wannabe contenders.
From BBC • Feb. 7, 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.
