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would-be

[woo d-bee]
See more synonyms for would-be on Thesaurus.com
adjective
  1. wishing or pretending to be: a would-be wit.
  2. intended to be: a would-be kindness.
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noun
  1. a person who wishes or pretends to be something: Opera singers and would-bes should practice at least four hours a day.
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Origin of would-be

1250–1300; Middle English (adj.)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for wouldbe

Historical Examples

  • July 17: A little upset by the episode of the wouldbe assassin, I decided to go up to London for the day.

    Greener Than You Think

    Ward Moore

  • A big word that Mr. Wouldbe uses where Mr. Is uses the little word live.

    The Verbalist

    Thomas Embly Osmun, (AKA Alfred Ayres)

  • Many criminals are acquitted who wouldbe convicted if the penalty were imprisonment.

    Public Speaking

    Clarence Stratton

British Dictionary definitions for wouldbe

would-be

adjective (prenominal)
  1. usually derogatory wanting or professing to bea would-be politician
  2. intended to bewould-be generosity
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noun
  1. derogatory a person who wants or professes to be something that he is not
  2. Indian the person to whom one is is engaged to be married; fiancé or fiancée
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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