: 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
Possibly 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
She's a clueless, would-be do-gooder without much self-awareness.Maureen Ryan

Examples of would-be in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Judge Arun Subramanian told lawyers that questionnaires will be distributed to hundreds of prospective jurors at the end of April so that questioning of would-be jurors can begin May 5, with opening statements expected to occur May 12. arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2025 That would-be crisis was averted, but the scare added to a history of flooding disasters that have plagued those communities. Jake Goodrick, Sacramento Bee, 15 Mar. 2025 Now, West Villagers are taking yet another stand, this time against the impending arrival of a new private club at 120 Leroy Street: a would-be spa-slash-restaurant-slash-bar-slash–padel court. Bridget Read, Curbed, 14 Mar. 2025 Salas added a second single in the ninth inning and also threw out a would-be base stealer while catching nine different pitchers across nine innings. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for would-be

Word History

First Known Use

1647, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of would-be was in 1647

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would-be. Accessed 19 Mar. 2025.

Kids Definition

would-be

adjective
ˌwu̇d-ˌbē
: desiring, intending, or pretending to be
a would-be poet

More from Merriam-Webster on would-be

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!