would-be
Americanadjective
-
wishing or pretending to be.
a would-be wit.
-
intended to be.
a would-be kindness.
noun
adjective
-
derogatory wanting or professing to be
a would-be politician
-
intended to be
would-be generosity
noun
-
derogatory a person who wants or professes to be something that he is not
-
the person to whom one is is engaged to be married; fiancé or fiancée
Etymology
Origin of would-be
1250–1300; Middle English (adj.)
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 same technology creating uncertainty for younger workers is also giving would-be entrepreneurs new tools to start and run a business.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
Some would-be visitors have criticised the high price of tickets - as much as three times what it costs to see the Bayeux Tapestry in France - to cover the museum's expenses.
From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026
The writer described the singularly Los Angeles role of such people, working in this “spread-out, skyscraperless city where perpetual rush hours thwart would-be roving reporters.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
That begs the question of why they were performed, other than raw intimidation, deterring would-be whistleblowers, and punishing the disloyal.
From Salon ● Sep. 14, 2026
What would-be gorilla or elephant rancher would wait 15 years for his herd to reach adult size?
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
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.
