variants
also wannabee
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
The proceedings were more of a scrimmage on steroids than an actual game with the intent of giving incumbents, wannabes, and newbies the chance to make plays and get noticed by the new coaching staff.
—
Rich Thompson, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Call it a banana republic run by dictator wannabes.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Franchise could have an exercise in spot-the-Kevin-Feige for industry wannabes.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2024
The top secret agent of CONTROL is a role model for clumsy wannabe Steve Carell, though by the end, Agent 23 is the one throwing an explosive situation into total KAOS.
15.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Rich Thompson, Boston Herald, 13 Apr. 2024
Call it a banana republic run by dictator wannabes.
—Linda Robertson, Miami Herald, 8 Jan. 2025
The Franchise could have an exercise in spot-the-Kevin-Feige for industry wannabes.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Dec. 2024
The top secret agent of CONTROL is a role model for clumsy wannabe Steve Carell, though by the end, Agent 23 is the one throwing an explosive situation into total KAOS.
15.
—Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 27 Nov. 2024
See All Example Sentences for wannabe
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe
Noun
-
Creators with under 50K followers had more trust than celebrity influencers, the study found.—
Rebecca Ann Hughes,
Forbes.com,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Over the past year, McShain shared glimpses into her life with over 200,000 followers across major social media platforms.—
Zoey Lyttle,
People.com,
23 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
And there's also a colorful parrot brooch for sale, featuring 35 round sapphires, 17 round diamonds and 17 round rubies, set with a striking cabochon ruby, which her husband also purchased for her.—
Simon Perry,
People.com,
17 Apr. 2025
-
During this time, biologists also began to appreciate bird intelligence, starting with their studies of Alex, an African gray parrot who could count and identify objects.—
Yasemin Saplakoglu,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 1 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share