wannabe

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.

“Ghalibaf is Iran’s wannabe strongman,” said Sina Azodi, director of Middle East studies at George Washington University.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026

When Tomas Cvancara stretched his neck and planted a header on Craig Gordon's crossbar an hour into this exhilarating clash of the champions and the wannabe champions, a sense of shock swept around Tynecastle.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

He followed, and I, a wannabe actor who shrewdly noted the CAA tag in his bio, followed back.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 23, 2026

In Hollywood, there’s an old joke among wannabe actors scraping by doing odd jobs between auditions: “Well, right now I’m parking cars, but what I really want to do is direct!”

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

“What kind of helpful information would be in books about a wannabe Chosen One who clams up when it’s time to stop the bad guy?”

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas