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Synonyms

wannabe

American  
[won-uh-bee, waw-nuh‑] / ˈwɒn əˌbi, ˈwɔ nə‑ /
Sometimes wannabee

noun

Informal.

plural

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


wannabe British  
/ ˈwɒnəˌbiː /

noun

  1. informal

    1. a person who desires to be, or be like, someone or something else

      a group of Marilyn Monroe wannabes

    2. ( as modifier )

      a wannabe film star

"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

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.

Yet, these supposedly most-promising stars are mostly hapless wannabes leaning on their skills in nunchucks and mime.

From Los Angeles Times

“There’s a pool, I think, of wannabe buyers who have just been sitting on the sidelines and waiting for rates to come down,” Daniel Seely said.

From The Wall Street Journal

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

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

“Well,” said Zeke, who felt like this was an awful lot of pressure on one measly apology to a lying, bullying, wannabe supervillain, “I guess so.”

From Literature