: desiring, intending, professing, or having the potential to be
tips for would-be mothers and fathers
The conference, held over the Labor Day weekend, drew 1200 to 1300 writers and would-be writers to the Hawaiian island this year …—
John F. Baker
John F. BakerPossibly the most hilarious and outrageous character was Joey Tribbiani, a would-be actor who struggles to find success in his chosen profession …—The Cheat Sheet
The Cheat SheetShe's a clueless, would-be do-gooder without much self-awareness.—Maureen Ryan
Maureen RyanExamples of would-be in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On the internet of yore, there was an apocryphal story about Jerry Seinfeld supposedly giving advice to software developer and would-be comedian Brad Isaac.
—Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 1 Jan. 2025
Brian Flores is another coach with ties to the Patriots who has thrived the last couple of years as the Vikings defensive coordinator, but his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL complicates his would-be candidacy.
—Chad Graff, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
The company plans to weld it shut so that would-be thieves would have to break open a highly radioactive system to get at the weapon-ready material.
—Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2024
While no vetting regime can guarantee zero risk, the current one is at least keeping out many foreign would-be terrorists, given the rarity of terrorist attacks conducted by foreigners on American soil since 9/11.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Orange County Register, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for would-be 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 1 Jan. 2025
Brian Flores is another coach with ties to the Patriots who has thrived the last couple of years as the Vikings defensive coordinator, but his ongoing lawsuit against the NFL complicates his would-be candidacy.
—Chad Graff, The Athletic, 1 Jan. 2025
The company plans to weld it shut so that would-be thieves would have to break open a highly radioactive system to get at the weapon-ready material.
—Emily Waltz, IEEE Spectrum, 30 Dec. 2024
While no vetting regime can guarantee zero risk, the current one is at least keeping out many foreign would-be terrorists, given the rarity of terrorist attacks conducted by foreigners on American soil since 9/11.
—Agustina Vergara Cid, Orange County Register, 29 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for would-be
Dictionary Entries Near would-be
Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/would-be. Accessed 9 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share