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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of wannabe
Second, bending to the will of a presidential wannabe, Gov. Gavin Newsom, the majority party dutifully passed legislation blowing up California’s independent redistricting commission.
—
Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The capital of Texas, Austin is a bustling metropolis that attracts everyone from tech giants to wannabe Willie Nelsons.
—Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025
The precious journalists could strive for their Pulitzers, and the wannabe Ari Golds could have their Hollywood deals.
—Eric Benson, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2025
This seemingly harmless zombie who was Pugsley’s wannabe pet, has his own agenda.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 19 Sep. 2025
The capital of Texas, Austin is a bustling metropolis that attracts everyone from tech giants to wannabe Willie Nelsons.
—Amanda Ogle, Travel + Leisure, 23 Aug. 2025
The precious journalists could strive for their Pulitzers, and the wannabe Ari Golds could have their Hollywood deals.
—Eric Benson, Rolling Stone, 18 Aug. 2025
This seemingly harmless zombie who was Pugsley’s wannabe pet, has his own agenda.
—Monica Mercuri, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe
Noun
-
Cissé, who was not a member of the military, sometimes posted images of herself in military fatigues to her more than 140,00 TikTok followers, which is thought to have drawn attention from the armed men.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
11 Nov. 2025
-
Since the government shutdown delayed funding for SNAP in November, Curry has been sharing strategies on how to find free or affordable food with his social media followers.—
NPR,
NPR,
11 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
This quickly became the world's best-selling pen and was soon followed by many imitators that sold in the billions.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
29 Oct. 2025
-
These are people who are in the know, many of whom actually thought of him as kind of a loser, as kind of an imitator.—
Andy Greene,
Rolling Stone,
27 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Ditto the echoes of The Civil War, also examining a battle that pit brother against brother, and The Vietnam War, in which America became the occupying imperial force failing to understand or successfully combat a domestic insurgence.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Their lead guitarist — a wiry seventeen-year-old named Bruce Springsteen — already had an assistant to hit his echo pedal on cue.—
Henry Selick,
IndieWire,
6 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 18 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share