would-be

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.

Cats Protection urged would-be owners to choose a cat that can "thrive within the environment and lifestyle you can offer rather than attempting to force the cat to adjust".

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Hurt made her film debut in Woody Allen’s 1978 drama, “Interiors,” where she portrayed the directionless would-be artist Joey opposite her more successful siblings Renata and Flyn, played by Diane Keaton and Kristin Griffith, respectively.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026

Their first meeting in a coffee shop drew five people — the number Indivisible suggests a would-be organizer initially aim to marshal.

From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026

That sparked hopes that would-be buyers would jump into the market at the start of the spring selling season.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 13, 2026

Then Breashears offered his expedition’s supply of oxygen—fifty canisters that had been laboriously carried to 26,000 feet—to the ailing climbers and would-be rescuers on the Col.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer