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
Kelly spends the first half of his book running through a who’s who of the New England underworld, gangsters and mob wannabes who likely came into contact with the art before the investigation reached Maine and Gentile.
—
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
All the young, single Carolyn Bessette wannabes were vying for his attention.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Plenty of Kennedy wannabes showed up too late to compete, like brothers Denny and Enny—models, actors, and content creators who are originally from Montenegro and now live in Williamsburg.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 9 Mar. 2026
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
Other wannabes came with security.
—Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
This is not an attention-grabbing field of gubernatorial wannabes, to put it politely.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Edmund H. Mahony, Hartford Courant, 22 Mar. 2026
All the young, single Carolyn Bessette wannabes were vying for his attention.
—Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Plenty of Kennedy wannabes showed up too late to compete, like brothers Denny and Enny—models, actors, and content creators who are originally from Montenegro and now live in Williamsburg.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 9 Mar. 2026
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
Other wannabes came with security.
—Shardaa Gray, CBS News, 21 Jan. 2026
This is not an attention-grabbing field of gubernatorial wannabes, to put it politely.
—George Skelton, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabes
Noun
-
In classic Earle fashion, the social media star was transparent with her followers and gave them a behind-the-scenes glimpse into her photo shoot ahead of the 2025 SI Swimsuit launch.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
12 May 2026
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Bedford Erickson, 3, has captured the hearts of hundreds of thousands of followers on social media who follow his journey living with a rare condition called Schwartz-Jampel syndrome.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Noun
-
By early 1985, IBM—the computing giant that dominated corporate America—and its imitators had captured nearly half the personal computer market, up from about a third just months earlier.—
Geoffrey Cain,
Vanity Fair,
11 May 2026
-
Baseball is a copycat league, and success breeds imitators.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Some in the crowd said the effort to redraw lines has echoes of the past.—
Kim Chandler,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
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The incident — with a few uncomfortable echoes of the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — has sparked concerns and questions.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Wannabes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabes. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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