: 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
Possibly 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
She's a clueless, would-be do-gooder without much self-awareness.Maureen Ryan

Examples of would-be in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But the state’s big investment has had mixed success — particularly in recruitment, because so few would-be teachers can afford such programs, WestEd researchers have found. Kristen Taketa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Mar. 2024 Affordable housing advocates praised Biden’s plan to help would-be homeowners afford to buy. Bryan Mena, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 Critics liken these investors to financial vultures depriving would-be homeowners of a shot at the American Dream while hoarding the profits of the last decade’s run-up in national home prices and rents. Calmatters, Orange County Register, 7 Mar. 2024 Advocates of polygenic screening argued in the same journal that would-be parents have a right to such information and that no harm can come of it. Daniel Gilbert, Washington Post, 7 Mar. 2024 Over the past two weeks, many parents and would-be parents who identify as Christian have struggled with conflicting feelings about the sudden intersection of religious belief and public policy. Roni Caryn Rabin, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 The defendants’ contention was that the author had acquired the documents outrightly, without expectation of return, and that their purchase of the lyrics from the would-be biographer was fully legal. Chris Willman, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024 The limping boy, the wag with the bear, the cad with the under look, the Londoner, the libertine, the would-be liberator: take your pick. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024 The revised blueprint, Dye said, tried to accommodate some of the concerns voiced by residents during a discussion several weeks earlier, namely high-density residences, truck traffic, and the would-be warehouse’s proximity to the school. Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'would-be.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of would-be was in 1647

Dictionary Entries Near would-be

Cite this Entry

“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would-be. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

would-be

adjective
ˌwu̇d-ˌbē
: desiring, intending, or pretending to be
a would-be poet
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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