as in inexperienced
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Recent Examples of would-be
Griffith said police are still searching for the would-be thief.
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Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
The consultant has a couple of caveats for would-be owners.
—Jamie Gold, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Election officials usually say noncitizen voting has never been shown to be a real issue, so there's no need for further tightening on top of the current system, which requires would-be voters to attest to their citizenship.
—Miles Parks, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025
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
See all Example Sentences for would-be 
Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
The consultant has a couple of caveats for would-be owners.
—Jamie Gold, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
Election officials usually say noncitizen voting has never been shown to be a real issue, so there's no need for further tightening on top of the current system, which requires would-be voters to attest to their citizenship.
—Miles Parks, NPR, 13 Jan. 2025
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
See all Example Sentences for would-be
Recent Examples of Synonyms for would-be
Adjective
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Whether the Red Wings can keep this streak going hinges on Detroit’s ability to handle this early success under new coach Todd McLellan.Max Bultman, The Athletic, 13 Jan. 2025
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Like the wood chairs and brown sofa, the sage green accents incorporated through the bold pattern on the window treatments warm up the room and introduce a new layer of color.Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 12 Jan. 2025
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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One source said that at the beginning Trump was reluctant to hold the meeting, but eventually agreed.Barak Ravid, Axios, 7 Dec. 2024
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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
Adjective
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In addition to helping address labor shortages for both high-skill and unskilled jobs, federal authorization of state-run visa programs would also help states and regions address unique labor needs.Patrick Gleason, Forbes, 29 Dec. 2024
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As funds grow larger, the combination of junior associates seeking a track record and unskilled entrepreneurs seeking more VC at earlier stages could lead to significant failures.Dileep Rao, Forbes, 15 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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More:Duggan's independent gubernatorial run is rare and untested.Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 24 Dec. 2024
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In just two short weeks, the 54-year-old Assad family dynasty fell to a collection of rebel fighters who were mostly untested, relatively poorly equipped, and often distrustful of one another.Daniel Markind, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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For example, previous mockups using the colors red, yellow and green to call out different levels did not make a statistically significant difference in helping people interpret the box.Alexander Tin, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2025
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Each group is coded by a color to indicate difficulty: yellow for the easiest, followed by green, blue, and purple for more challenging sets.John Mac Ghlionn, Newsweek, 14 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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That could be, in part, because some entry-level technicians earn less than $50,000 a year, or because wind turbine service technicians have one of the highest rates of injury and illness of all occupations.Morgan Smith, CNBC, 17 Jan. 2025
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Among their demographic groups, entry-level (33%) and on-site employees (33%) are the most likely to say their employers' response to workplace dissatisfaction is poor.Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025
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 20 Jan. 2025.
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