wannabe

noun

wan·​na·​be ˈwä-nə-ˌbē 

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

Synonyms

• follower
• imitator
• parrot

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

The wildly energetic feature tells the real-life story of Scottish wannabe rappers Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd. —Alex Ritman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2025

The capital of Texas, Austin is a bustling metropolis that attracts everyone from tech giants to wannabe Willie Nelsons. —Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025

The precious journalists could strive for their Pulitzers, and the wannabe Ari Golds could have their Hollywood deals. —Eric Benson, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2025

This seemingly harmless zombie who was Pugsley’s wannabe pet, has his own agenda. —Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

from the phrase want to be

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for wannabe

• agree
• allee
• banshee
• beastly
• bibi
• bowsprit
• carefree
• cerci
• chablis
• cowpea
• crappie
• crappy