wannabe
Americannoun
plural
wannabesnoun
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.
The two-cap striker - who last played for Scotland in 2022 - has the play-off final to look forward to where he will come up against a fellow World Cup wannabe in Oli McBurnie.
From BBC • May 18, 2026
So far, so good for the wannabe disruptors.
From BBC • May 16, 2026
Cue Mr. Carr, his wannabe censor at the FCC.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 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
“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.
