would-be
[ woo d-bee ]
/ ˈwʊdˌbi /
adjective
wishing or pretending to be: a would-be wit.
intended to be: a would-be kindness.
noun
a person who wishes or pretends to be something: Opera singers and would-bes should practice at least four hours a day.
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Origin of would-be
1250–1300; Middle English (adj.)
Words nearby would-be
wotton, wouk, would, would rather, would that, would-be, wouldn't, wouldn't dream of, wouldst, woulfe bottle, wound
Dictionary.com UnabridgedBased on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020
Example sentences from the Web for would-be
British Dictionary definitions for would-be
would-be
adjective (prenominal)
usually derogatory wanting or professing to bea would-be politician
intended to bewould-be generosity
noun
derogatory a person who wants or professes to be something that he is not
Indian the person to whom one is is engaged to be married; fiancé or fiancée
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012