Thesaurus results for WANNABE

wannabe

noun

ˈwä-nə-ˌbē

variants also wannabee

Definition of wannabe

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 Most political wannabes lack big money and positive high visibility. — Jim Nowlan, Chicago Tribune, 19 Apr. 2026 The 27-year-old Canadian astrophysicist wannabe turned content creator turned actor first captured people’s attention on TikTok with his absurdist comedy skits. — Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 10 Apr. 2026 Especially early in its career, Hum was dreadfully misclassified as just another soft-to-loud/Smashing Pumpkins and Nirvana wannabe, and remained criminally under-appreciated for its heavy/stoner-friendly Midwestern shoegaze vibes long after its breakup. — Jonathan Cohen, SPIN, 16 May 2026 In 2022, when McKee was seeking his first full four-year term in a crowded field of wannabes that included Foulkes in her first run, McKee got the votes of 81 of 159 delegates, edging out then Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, who took 58 votes. — Katherine Gregg, The Providence Journal, 20 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for wannabe

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe

Noun

The mom of two shares videos and photos of her fashion creations and her daughters wearing them with over 29,000 TikTok followers.

— Zoey Lyttle, PEOPLE, 3 July 2026
In 1776, the year the Declaration of Independence was signed, Quakers made a formal stance against slavery, prohibiting followers of the faith from engaging in the institution.

— Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 3 July 2026

Definition of follower

Noun

But the arrival of Buc-ee's supercharged the trend and spawned imitators like Wally's, which has three 50,000-square-foot locations in the Midwest, with plans for more.

— Kevin Williams, CNBC, 2 July 2026
The frontier labs keep shipping the next capability while the imitators are still training on the last one, and the value keeps accruing to whoever is ahead rather than to whoever copied the leader's previous answers.

— Jon Markman, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

Definition of imitator

Noun

The rural storytelling and fiddle music on the frontier inspired the emergence and growth of commercial country music and bluegrass music, while echoes of acoustic blues and protest songs can be heard in modern R&B and hip-hop.

— Ted Olson, The Conversation, 2 July 2026
These trades also feel like a bizarro echo of a deal by previous Canucks management almost exactly one year ago.

— Thomas Drance, New York Times, 30 June 2026

Definition of echo

Browse Nearby Words

waning

wannabe

wannabes

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of wannabe

noun

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on wannabe

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

perfunctory

Popular in Grammar & Usage

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Popular in Wordplay

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

Games & Quizzes