: desiring, intending, professing, or having the potential to be
tips for would-be mothers and fathers
The conference, held over the Labor Day weekend, drew 1200 to 1300 writers and would-be writers to the Hawaiian island this year …—
John F. Baker
John F. BakerPossibly the most hilarious and outrageous character was Joey Tribbiani, a would-be actor who struggles to find success in his chosen profession …—The Cheat Sheet
The Cheat SheetShe's a clueless, would-be do-gooder without much self-awareness.—Maureen Ryan
Maureen RyanExamples of would-be in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
As soon as McAmis left, Panettiere bolted and later reached out to her would-be fiancé, Klitschko, for comfort.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 May 2026
The whiplash has left would-be homebuyers struggling to plan their entrance.
—Tim Maxwell, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Fledgling startups and pharmaceutical giants alike are addicted to Chinese drugs, filling their pipelines with would-be blockbusters developed at enviable speed and bought on the cheap.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 18 May 2026
Before long, Irwin and his wife, Hester (Scarlett Johansson), and their two teen-age sons (Roman Engel and Gavin Goudey), find themselves in grave danger from Irwin’s would-be employers—a threat driven home in two sequences that Gray stages in intimately terrifying fashion.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
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Arushi Jacob, Variety, 19 May 2026
The whiplash has left would-be homebuyers struggling to plan their entrance.
—Tim Maxwell, CBS News, 19 May 2026
Fledgling startups and pharmaceutical giants alike are addicted to Chinese drugs, filling their pipelines with would-be blockbusters developed at enviable speed and bought on the cheap.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 18 May 2026
Before long, Irwin and his wife, Hester (Scarlett Johansson), and their two teen-age sons (Roman Engel and Gavin Goudey), find themselves in grave danger from Irwin’s would-be employers—a threat driven home in two sequences that Gray stages in intimately terrifying fashion.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 18 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for would-be
Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would-be. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
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