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.
Restored concert footage in Baz Luhrmann’s new documentary, “EPiC: Elvis Presley in Concert,” challenges the idea that the King was a has-been in the years before his death.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 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
Sun-soaked, punk rock ’70s California, a fraught family safari in Africa, a frustrated has-been and a digital future portrayed in a PowerPoint presentation show how disparate lives can affect each other.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2025
I hadn’t attained that level of status in my career and at my age, I was already considered a has-been.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
