: 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
John F. BakerPossibly 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
The Cheat SheetShe's a clueless, would-be do-gooder without much self-awareness.—Maureen Ryan
Maureen RyanExamples of would-be in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Once that trade demand surfaced, Grier, who had been speaking to Predators general manager Barry Trotz about Askarov for about a year, had the necessary assets to outbid any other would-be suitor and complete the deal in August 2024.
—Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
Because private companies including Anthropic restrict who may hold its stock, would-be buyers will funnel into special-purpose vehicles (SPVs), or funds that hold the shares or hold a stake in another fund that holds the shares.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Pleasure and pressure, individual desire and collective manipulation—these would-be poles all overlap on bitknot because they can’t be pried apart in life.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 1 June 2026
Tomala has caught nine would-be base stealers.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
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Curtis Pashelka, Mercury News, 2 June 2026
Because private companies including Anthropic restrict who may hold its stock, would-be buyers will funnel into special-purpose vehicles (SPVs), or funds that hold the shares or hold a stake in another fund that holds the shares.
—Alicia Park, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026
Pleasure and pressure, individual desire and collective manipulation—these would-be poles all overlap on bitknot because they can’t be pried apart in life.
—Sadie Sartini Garner, Pitchfork, 1 June 2026
Tomala has caught nine would-be base stealers.
—Matt Le Cren, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for would-be
Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would-be. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.
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