as in inexperienced
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Recent Examples of would-be
But contracts for the sale fell through and would-be buyers backed out.
—
Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Before kickoff on Sunday night, a priest was seen blessing the end zone where Ravens kicker Ravens kicker Tyler Loop would eventually miss the would-be walk-off field goal that would have sent Baltimore into the playoffs.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Baltimore Ravens are finished for the season, done in by a would-be winning field goal gone awry.
—Mark Maske, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2026
That many would-be tourists are uninformed about the area’s water-centric amenities and stately beachfront hotels is somewhat of a curiosity.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for would-be
Steven Walker, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Jan. 2026
Before kickoff on Sunday night, a priest was seen blessing the end zone where Ravens kicker Ravens kicker Tyler Loop would eventually miss the would-be walk-off field goal that would have sent Baltimore into the playoffs.
—Paulina Dedaj, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
The Baltimore Ravens are finished for the season, done in by a would-be winning field goal gone awry.
—Mark Maske, Washington Post, 4 Jan. 2026
That many would-be tourists are uninformed about the area’s water-centric amenities and stately beachfront hotels is somewhat of a curiosity.
—David Lyons, Sun Sentinel, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for would-be
Recent Examples of Synonyms for would-be
Adjective
-
Ten of the top 15 quarterbacks in the portal have already committed, and after that top tier, many of the remaining quarterbacks available are either young, inexperienced passers from Power 4 programs or starters from Group of 5 or FCS schools.—
Sam Khan Jr,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2026
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According to the University of Massachusetts Global, teacher turnover results in a large number of inexperienced teachers being placed in classrooms, meaning more money is put toward recruiting, hiring and training.—
Jennah Pendleton,
Sacbee.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Given the actors' previous antics on the podcast, however, there's a big question mark over how sincere Glassman's new comments are.—
Raechal Shewfelt,
Entertainment Weekly,
13 Jan. 2026
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The moratorium, which was confirmed by the league, was necessary because the sides failed to reach a deal on a new collective bargaining agreement or an extension of the current one by Friday night’s deadline.—
Doug Feinberg,
Twin Cities,
13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Originally hesitant about using the relatively untried medium of radio in this way, The King was reassured by a visit to the BBC in the summer of 1932 and agreed to take part.—
Stephanie Petit,
PEOPLE,
25 Dec. 2025
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The hitch is that Florida is dependent on an untried product.—
Noah White,
Miami Herald,
18 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Webster learned that the FBI, media organizations, and amateur internet sleuths were using facial-recognition software to identify those who’d stormed the Capitol.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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But to unmask the killer in a mansion filled with ticking clocks and suspects, amateur detective Eileen must first get round discouragement from Lady Caterham, played by Helena Bonham Carter, and Sherlock star Martin Freeman as superintendent Battle.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Cooking on unseasoned cast iron can result in sticking, rusting, and a myriad of other issues (some of which are outlined above).—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
7 Dec. 2025
-
To be fair, K&W never claimed to be a buffet, but the revelation that seconds were not an option — not even after a modest serving of chicken tenders and unseasoned fries — felt like a personal betrayal.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
3 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Next week, Grizzly Bear headline the first show in a five-night run at New York’s Brooklyn Steel, the beginning leg of their first tour in six years.—
Nina Corcoran,
Pitchfork,
10 Oct. 2025
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A lot of the dialogue existed and the crew had the beginning demos of the songs to work with.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Crawford pushes back against stereotypes that frame blue-collar labor as unskilled, pointing to the intelligence required to understand the technical aspects of complex systems while translating that knowledge to customers.—
Muskaan Arshad,
Fortune,
20 Dec. 2025
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Complex negotiations in large organizations often fail—not because the negotiators are inexperienced or unskilled but because they’re constrained by two structural challenges, agency and alignment, and by the ways organizations manage those challenges.—
Danny Ertel,
Harvard Business Review,
8 Dec. 2025
Adjective
-
Naturally, there were anxious flurries in the first half, but Lucas Perri was virtually untested after the break.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
2 Jan. 2026
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Japan could go nuclear very quickly Such development would also include conducting a limited (possibly untested) deployment.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
28 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/would-be. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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