wannabe

noun

wan·​na·​be ˈwä-nə-ˌbē How to pronounce wannabe (audio)
variants or less commonly wannabee
1
: a person who wants or aspires to be someone or something else or who tries to look or act like someone else
2
: something (such as a company, city, or product) intended to rival another of its kind that has been successful
especially : one for which hopes have failed or are likely to fail

Examples of wannabe in a Sentence

an entrepreneur who seems to have made his fortune mainly by giving how-to-get-rich lectures to entrepreneurial wannabes
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Looking at the historical sample of data, the goal was to develop a set of rules that helped distinguish the genuine contenders from the pretenders and to narrow down as few actual champions as possible while simultaneously eliminating as many of the wannabes. Neil Paine, New York Times, 17 June 2025 These are real veterans, not the local wannabes who give lip service to those who have been in the military but are somehow unable to credit the sacrifices of those who don’t share their political party. Naperville Sun, Chicago Tribune, 28 Mar. 2025 Listen to this article St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration enjoyed by Irish and Irish wannabes alike. Cathy Thomas, Orange County Register, 11 Mar. 2025 Like Hughes and every other 20-something, male wannabe in Nashville, Sadler had a prodigious mullet. Keith Sharon, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024 See All Example Sentences for wannabe

Word History

Etymology

from the phrase want to be

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wannabe was in 1976

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wannabe. Accessed 24 Jul. 2025.

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