has-been
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It's up to the player, manager, or has-been like myself to make a judgement call in the moment.
From BBC • Mar. 23, 2026
“Not a star, just another has-been, lacing up his sneakers in an empty gym on a Wednesday night.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
Colombian writer-director Simón Mesa Soto’s acutely observed Cannes-recognized “A Poet” lays bare that torment with the tale of a has-been writer for whom exquisite suffering has curdled into garden-variety middle-age failure.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
Among other things, he has called you a fraudster and a failed political has-been, but you’re not responding in kind.
From Slate • Oct. 15, 2025
“I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what’s it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
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