: desiring, intending, professing, or having the potential to be
tips for would-be mothers and fathers
The conference, held over the Labor Day weekend, drew 1200 to 1300 writers and would-be writers to the Hawaiian island this year …—
John F. Baker
John F. BakerPossibly the most hilarious and outrageous character was Joey Tribbiani, a would-be actor who struggles to find success in his chosen profession …—The Cheat Sheet
The Cheat SheetShe's a clueless, would-be do-gooder without much self-awareness.—Maureen Ryan
Maureen RyanExamples of would-be in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
His goal is to deter crime by convincing would-be criminals they’ll be caught.
—Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
And companies like Intel, IBM, and Google have been freezing thousands of would-be new roles that AI is expected to take over in the next five years.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025
But the would-be purchaser told the seller that the money was accidentally sent to another account, and provided a number to call Cash App to resolve the issue, police said.
—CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
The would-be victim followed the suspect after their confrontation initially broke off, at which point the suspect allegedly turned and stabbed at the victim.
—Greg Norman , Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for would-be
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Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 19 Dec. 2025
And companies like Intel, IBM, and Google have been freezing thousands of would-be new roles that AI is expected to take over in the next five years.
—Orianna Rosa Royle, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025
But the would-be purchaser told the seller that the money was accidentally sent to another account, and provided a number to call Cash App to resolve the issue, police said.
—CBS News, 19 Dec. 2025
The would-be victim followed the suspect after their confrontation initially broke off, at which point the suspect allegedly turned and stabbed at the victim.
—Greg Norman , Anders Hagstrom, FOXNews.com, 18 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for would-be
Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would-be. Accessed 21 Dec. 2025.
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