as in inexperienced
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Recent Examples of would-be
The city also asked would-be guerilla decorators to leave their holiday ornaments at home.
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Max Levy, The Denver Post, 13 Dec. 2024
But the would-be health secretary has yet to signal any interest in bringing testosterone into the fold of modern medicine.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024
Sister to Cynthia Erivo’s would-be villainess Elphaba, the character uses a wheelchair and, in Wicked: Part Two (in theaters Nov. 26, 2025), becomes the Wicked Witch of the East who terrorizes Munchkinland.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024
Near the end of the run, Fiske made a terrific move to fake out a would-be tackler.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for would-be 
Max Levy, The Denver Post, 13 Dec. 2024
But the would-be health secretary has yet to signal any interest in bringing testosterone into the fold of modern medicine.
—Nicholas Florko, The Atlantic, 12 Dec. 2024
Sister to Cynthia Erivo’s would-be villainess Elphaba, the character uses a wheelchair and, in Wicked: Part Two (in theaters Nov. 26, 2025), becomes the Wicked Witch of the East who terrorizes Munchkinland.
—Jack Smart, People.com, 2 Dec. 2024
Near the end of the run, Fiske made a terrific move to fake out a would-be tackler.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for would-be
Recent Examples of Synonyms for would-be
Adjective
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Any new import levies are on a collision course with stubbornly flat industrial production — a crucial driver of domestic and international volume from sectors that include mining, manufacturing, chemicals and electricity — and lingering overcapacity from the COVID shipping boom, experts said.Lisa Baertlein, USA TODAY, 14 Dec. 2024
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The clean-tech momentum that had begun to build in the U.S. as President Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act went into effect will certainly be damped, though blue states from Washington to Massachusetts have announced big new initiatives in the days since the November vote.Bill McKibben, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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At the time, states that still practiced the death penalty struggled as their lethal drug suppliers, not wanting to be associated with executions, cut ties and corrections offices experimented with untried methods.Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2024
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The only remaining untried tactic is the more coordinated deployment of expansionary fiscal and monetary policy.Timothy F. Geithner, Foreign Affairs, 12 Dec. 2016
Adjective
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Other human foods that cats can eat unseasoned and without bones are salmon, chicken, turkey, beef, organ meat, shrimp, lamb, pork and canned tuna in spring water only.Gordon G. Chang, Newsweek, 12 Dec. 2024
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Afghanistan’s border police is largely an institutional fiction—incompletely trained, unseasoned, and unsustainable.George Gavrilis, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2015
Adjective
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Three ounces of seed will cover 400 square feet, a nice start to a beginning habitat garden.Jeanette Marantos, Los Angeles Times, 3 Nov. 2024
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But fans had been mourning the loss of the cheeky, friendly kid from the beginning days of the band for years.Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
Adjective
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With a background in education, Westhoff and Masood came up with the idea of a hybrid, online and offline, academy that would train up unskilled workers - many of them migrants - who might otherwise be working in fast food outlets or for delivery firms.Trevor Clawson, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
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Fritz could acquire land near the city, hire both skilled and unskilled labor, and insert his new company in the trade and finance links the city had with the outside world, thanks to the social capital present in the city and his access to it.Peter Vanham, Fortune, 6 Sep. 2024
Adjective
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And thousands of kits that could free more innocent people have been left untested – again.Gina Barton, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024
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Avoidance of risk: Individuals may cite imposter syndrome as a reason to avoid such things as exploring new markets or investing in untested strategies.Cheryl Robinson, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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New wood will feel flexible and look more green than brown.Heather Bien, Southern Living, 15 Dec. 2024
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Tangent The weekend will bring the Geminid meteor shower, expected to light up the sky with dozens of shooting stars—some shining green and purple—every hour.Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 14 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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One of the largest growth markets is expected to be entry-level and less expensive vehicles.Michael Wayland, CNBC, 18 Dec. 2024
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For example, the top 100 employers in hiring are 180% more likely to hire workers without a college degree, creating greater opportunity for entry-level workers.Bruno V. Manno, Forbes, 18 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near would-be
Cite this Entry
“Would-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/would-be. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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