variants
also wannabees
as in followers
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 wannabes
Glatzer, who serves as executive producer, writer, and showrunner of the new series, sought to focus on wannabes rather than billionaires, and also consciously expanded the story beyond tech bros.
—
Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
The news isn't all bad for Santa wannabes.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
Best Toy from a Film Franchise Dragon rider wannabees can put their dreams into motion by bonding and engaging with the ever-playful Toothless.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Just about everyone gets a little pat on the head from ESPN for a big home weekend, but cutesy wannabes don’t get featured on the road.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 7 Jan. 2026
The news isn't all bad for Santa wannabes.
—Alain Sherter, CBS News, 23 Dec. 2025
Best Toy from a Film Franchise Dragon rider wannabees can put their dreams into motion by bonding and engaging with the ever-playful Toothless.
—Pamela Brill, Parents, 2 Oct. 2025
Just about everyone gets a little pat on the head from ESPN for a big home weekend, but cutesy wannabes don’t get featured on the road.
—Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabes
Noun
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As her own beliefs begin to take idiosyncratic shape, Lee begins to engage a few followers.—
Mark Olsen,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
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Her followers got a better look at her spacious kitchen's wooden cabinetry and light fixtures behind them.—
Marina Watts,
PEOPLE,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Despite many aspirants and imitators, there really hasn’t been anything like it since.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
31 Dec. 2025
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As some of his peers embrace generative artificial intelligence with their own likeness, Morgan Freeman is putting his imitators on notice.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
13 Nov. 2025
Noun
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That, too, had echoes of last season, when City, the reigning champions, lost their way completely after a promising start, winning just one match out of 13 in all competitions between late October and late December.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
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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
Cite this Entry
“Wannabes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabes. Accessed 11 Jan. 2026.
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