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
But the reality is that many of the elections were fake and that the world runneth over with dictators, authoritarians and their wannabes.
—
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
The proceedings were more of a scrimmage on steroids than an actual game with the intent of giving incumbents, wannabes, and newbies the chance to make plays and get noticed by the new coaching staff.
—Rich Thompson, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Call it a banana republic run by dictator wannabes.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Franchise could have an exercise in spot-the-Kevin-Feige for industry wannabes.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Daniel R. Depetris, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
The proceedings were more of a scrimmage on steroids than an actual game with the intent of giving incumbents, wannabes, and newbies the chance to make plays and get noticed by the new coaching staff.
—Rich Thompson, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Call it a banana republic run by dictator wannabes.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Franchise could have an exercise in spot-the-Kevin-Feige for industry wannabes.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe
Noun
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What began as an intimate connection with fans has ballooned to 7.5 million followers between Instagram and TikTok.—
Xian Horn,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
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Jussie Smollett proposed to boyfriend Jabari Redd this weekend, bringing the good news to his followers via social media.—
Jessica Bennett,
VIBE.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
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From left: Gracie DeLong's parrot, Popeye, perches on a person's leg; and her 10-month-old son, Jackson, cries.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 June 2025
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Two new studies show that successful efforts to bring animals back into global cities come with widespread benefits The kākā (Nestor meridionalis) is a large parrot found only in Aotearoa New Zealand.—
Laurie Winkless,
Forbes.com,
5 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 2 Jul. 2025.
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