: 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
From Nassau, would-be pirates could watch the panorama of New World trade gliding by.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Homeowners fought back and chased would-be thieves across San Francisco Bay.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
Reuters on Monday reported that a recent survey by market intelligence firm Caliber found the number of would-be Tesla buyers in the U.S. is shrinking in part because of CEO Elon Musk’s polarizing persona.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
China’s automakers are piling in to take advantage of Tesla Inc.’s recent price hike and defend against Xiaomi Corp.’s disruptive market entry, offering sweeteners such as subsidies and coupons to lure would-be car buyers.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 1 Apr. 2024
The airport manager had to explain to hundreds of angry would-be onlookers that they’d been had.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The story is told by Eliza Touchet, a housekeeper and would-be writer who becomes invested in the trial and its main witness—a formerly enslaved man named Andrew Bogle.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024
Lourdes Gomez, director of the county’s Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, wrote on Tuesday, Feb. 6, to a staff member who asked for her feedback on a list of would-be bond projects circulating within the agency.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Many a would-be dominator of the racetrack or the boulevard face-off has been spanked silly by a Corvette, red or otherwise.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
Homeowners fought back and chased would-be thieves across San Francisco Bay.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 2 Apr. 2024
Reuters on Monday reported that a recent survey by market intelligence firm Caliber found the number of would-be Tesla buyers in the U.S. is shrinking in part because of CEO Elon Musk’s polarizing persona.
—Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 2 Apr. 2024
China’s automakers are piling in to take advantage of Tesla Inc.’s recent price hike and defend against Xiaomi Corp.’s disruptive market entry, offering sweeteners such as subsidies and coupons to lure would-be car buyers.
—Bloomberg, Fortune Asia, 1 Apr. 2024
The airport manager had to explain to hundreds of angry would-be onlookers that they’d been had.
—Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
The story is told by Eliza Touchet, a housekeeper and would-be writer who becomes invested in the trial and its main witness—a formerly enslaved man named Andrew Bogle.
—Mia Barzilay Freund, Vogue, 29 Mar. 2024
Lourdes Gomez, director of the county’s Department of Regulatory and Economic Resources, wrote on Tuesday, Feb. 6, to a staff member who asked for her feedback on a list of would-be bond projects circulating within the agency.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
Many a would-be dominator of the racetrack or the boulevard face-off has been spanked silly by a Corvette, red or otherwise.
—Robert Ross, Robb Report, 20 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'would-be.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would-be. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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