: 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
The would-be new map failed in a 19-31 vote in the Indiana Senate, with 21 Republicans joining 10 Democrats in voting against it.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
Thanks to this Kansas City tradition, instead of jumping on the lap of one of the area’s many would-be Santa Clauses , children sit at the feet of KC’s own Fairy Princess to relay their Christmas wishes.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Dec. 2025
The site of China's would-be embassy overlooks the iconic Tower of London and The Shard.
—Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Catullus’s poems disappeared from the Western canon for centuries (likely because medieval Christian scribes avoided copying lurid pagan texts) yet were rediscovered and reprinted in the Renaissance, and are still alive millennia later, when would-be censors are long forgotten.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
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Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2025
Thanks to this Kansas City tradition, instead of jumping on the lap of one of the area’s many would-be Santa Clauses , children sit at the feet of KC’s own Fairy Princess to relay their Christmas wishes.
—Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 11 Dec. 2025
The site of China's would-be embassy overlooks the iconic Tower of London and The Shard.
—Ramy Inocencio, CBS News, 11 Dec. 2025
Catullus’s poems disappeared from the Western canon for centuries (likely because medieval Christian scribes avoided copying lurid pagan texts) yet were rediscovered and reprinted in the Renaissance, and are still alive millennia later, when would-be censors are long forgotten.
—Literary Hub, 10 Dec. 2025
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 14 Dec. 2025.
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