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 of wannabe

• follower
• imitator
• echo

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

In 2022, when McKee was seeking his first full four-year term in a crowded field of wannabes that included Foulkes in her first run, McKee got the votes of 81 of 159 delegates, edging out then Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, who took 58 votes. —Katherine Gregg, The Providence Journal, 20 June 2026

The idea that Bessette was some sort of wannabe was anathema for Hines. —Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 10 June 2026

Can Phillies fans and wannabe Nola buy-lowers take heart in the improving Stuff+ numbers? —Eno Sarris, New York Times, 9 June 2026

And they’ve been worn by working cowboys and just about every Western wannabe in the country. —Sandra Dallas, Denver Post, 8 June 2026

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