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- Dictionarywould-be/ˈwʊdbiː/
adjective
- 1. desiring or aspiring to be a specified type of person: "a would-be actress who dresses up as Marilyn Monroe"
noun
- 1. a person who desires or aspires to be a particular type: informal "a seemingly endless queue of journalists and would-bes formed"
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adjective [ not gradable ] us / ˈwʊdˌbi / Add to word list. wanting or trying to be: a would-be artist / politician. (Definition of would-be from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press) Examples of would-be. would-be.
desiring, intending, professing, or having the potential to be… See the full definition
You can use would-be to describe someone who wants or attempts to do a particular thing. For example, a would-be writer is someone who wants to be a writer. ...a book that provides encouragement for would-be writers. ...a would-be rock star.
adj (prenominal) 1. usually derogatory wanting or professing to be: a would-be politician. 2. intended to be: would-be generosity. n. 3. derogatory a person who wants or professes to be something that he is not. 4. Indian the person to whom one is engaged to be married; fiancé or fiancée.
WOULD-BE | definition in the Cambridge English Dictionary. Meaning of would-be in English. would-be. adjective [ before noun ] us / ˈwʊd.bi / uk / ˈwʊd.bi / Add to word list. C2. wanting or trying to be: a would-be artist / politician. SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases. Wanting things. ache for something. acquisitive. ambitiously.
Would-be definition: wishing or pretending to be. See examples of WOULD-BE used in a sentence.
Sep 27, 2024 · Noun. [edit] would - be (plural would-bes) One who aspires to something. Synonym: wannabe. (India) One's fiancé or fiancée. Categories:
Definition of would-be adjective in Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. Meaning, pronunciation, picture, example sentences, grammar, usage notes, synonyms and more.
You can use would-be to describe someone who wants or attempts to do a particular thing. For example, a would-be writer is someone who wants to be a writer. [...] More. Synonyms of 'would-be' • budding, potential, so-called, professed [...] More. Collocations with the word 'would-be' would-be author would-be buyer would-be candidate More.
Desiring, attempting, or professing to be. American Heritage. Similar definitions. Intended, but failing, to be. A would-be work of art. Webster's New World. Unfulfilled or frustrated in realizing an ambition. Would-be film stars often become waitresses. Wiktionary. Synonyms: manque. noun. One who aspires to something; a wannabe. Wiktionary.
