to-be

adjective

tə-ˈbē 

: that is to be : future

—usually used postpositively and often in combination

a bride-to-be

Examples of to-be in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Videos of a grandmother-to-be making a gender reveal about herself? — Leslie Horn Peterson, Time, 14 July 2026

OpenAI and Anthropic employees (among them many soon-to-be billionaires and decamillionaires) are exploring philanthropic opportunities to spend all that money. — Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 14 July 2026

The soon-to-be 36-year-old missed her first game Tuesday, a 77-66 win at Phoenix, despite not appearing on the injury report until 90 minutes before tipoff. — CBS News, 13 July 2026

The commitment to acquire the soon-to-be 25-year-old isn’t lost on Kessler, who will now team up with Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves in purple and gold. — Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 13 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1594, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for to-be

• boob
• cube
• lube
• rube
• tube
• hypercube
• nanotube
• phototube

Kids Definition

to-be

adjective

tə-ˈbē

: that is to be : future

—often used in combination

a bride-to-be