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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wannabe
Winning Survivor is a dream come true for any reality contestant wannabe.
—
David Kinne, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025
For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
David Kinne, EW.com, 24 Feb. 2025
For a Gen X-er raised on movies that skewered phonies and wannabes, the thought of being a poser was, in the end, far more offensive to his sensibilities than being potentially bland.
—Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 23 Dec. 2024
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
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe
Noun
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In 2023, Angel Reese’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) valuation jumped during the week of the Final Four, alongside a spike in her follower count.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
16 July 2025
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With millions of followers across Instagram, TikTok and Substack, the platform is positioned towards helping young people better understand the news, with regular free newsletters and podcasts.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
15 July 2025
Noun
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The internet has gone wild for a pet parrot determined to make a visiting neighborhood cat his best pal.—
Rachael O'Connor,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 July 2025
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Just ask Microsoft, whose 2016 chatbot Tay, attracting users with nefarious objectives, quickly descended into a racist, misogynistic parrot.—
Robert C. Wolcott,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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