variants
also wannabee
as in follower
a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way
an entrepreneur who seems to have made his fortune mainly by giving how-to-get-rich lectures to entrepreneurial wannabes
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wannabe
From the dealmakers in the Polo Lounge to the celebs hiding away in the spacious bungalows, all manner of tastemakers and wannabes have stopped by the Pink Palace at some time or another.
—
Tim Chester, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
The Dodgers’ split-squad group that journeyed the 14 miles from Glendale (and ultimately lost to Texas, 7-6) was largely a skeleton crew of Triple-A bound prospects and wannabes.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Van Der Beek had been directed by Edward Albee on a New York stage and had played a bully in the coming-of-age film Angus (1995) when he was hired as a Steven Spielberg wannabe on Dawson’s Creek, created by Kevin Williamson for Columbia TriStar Television.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
In the end, the crowd voted, and the wannabe from Bourbonnais walked away with the title.
—Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Tim Chester, Robb Report, 5 Mar. 2026
The Dodgers’ split-squad group that journeyed the 14 miles from Glendale (and ultimately lost to Texas, 7-6) was largely a skeleton crew of Triple-A bound prospects and wannabes.
—Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News, 28 Feb. 2026
Van Der Beek had been directed by Edward Albee on a New York stage and had played a bully in the coming-of-age film Angus (1995) when he was hired as a Steven Spielberg wannabe on Dawson’s Creek, created by Kevin Williamson for Columbia TriStar Television.
—Mike Barnes, HollywoodReporter, 11 Feb. 2026
In the end, the crowd voted, and the wannabe from Bourbonnais walked away with the title.
—Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe
Noun
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And what struck me as really interesting is just how many members were part of these groups and how many of these groups there are, specifically on Reddit, some of which have upwards of a million followers.—
Dana Taylor,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
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Late last week, Lindsey Buckingham dropped a very tantalizing tidbit while speaking to his Instagram followers about his future plans.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Though Cox has a small role and Panettiere returns, the lack of legacy characters makes this feel like a cheap imitator at times.—
Declan Gallagher,
Entertainment Weekly,
3 Mar. 2026
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For decades, Gallup’s company and its imitators improved their techniques.—
David Frum,
The Atlantic,
21 Feb. 2026
Noun
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But with rising crude oil and persistent inflation pressures in the news, there’s also an echo of the 2022 backdrop.—
Frank Cappelleri,
CNBC,
1 Apr. 2026
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More than just echoes of his stroke from a decade prior.—
Cara Lynn Shultz,
PEOPLE,
31 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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