Thesaurus results for WANNABE

wannabe

noun

ˈwä-nə-ˌbē

variants also wannabee

Definition of wannabe

as in follower

a person who adopts the appearance or behavior of another especially in an obvious way an entrepreneur who seems to have made his fortune mainly by giving how-to-get-rich lectures to entrepreneurial wannabes

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of wannabe The antebellum South is long gone, of course, but that hasn’t stopped the governor, the Legislature, and a host of gray-uniform wannabes from trying to forcibly march us backward. — Pat Beall, Sun Sentinel, 10 July 2026 In 2022, when McKee was seeking his first full four-year term in a crowded field of wannabes that included Foulkes in her first run, McKee got the votes of 81 of 159 delegates, edging out then Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea, who took 58 votes. — Katherine Gregg, The Providence Journal, 20 June 2026 The idea that Bessette was some sort of wannabe was anathema for Hines. — Antonia Blyth, Deadline, 10 June 2026 Can Phillies fans and wannabe Nola buy-lowers take heart in the improving Stuff+ numbers? — Eno Sarris, New York Times, 9 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for wannabe

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wannabe

Noun

First was comic and content creator, George Brett Olson, who did a breakdown (watch it below) accusing an AI Instagram account with 300,000 followers of seemingly ripped off his joke word for word.

— James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Other followers focused on the actress's return to television.

— Danielle Minnetian, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of follower

Noun

Deafheaven broke the mold by introducing blinding light to rock music’s darkest corner, but after wave upon wave of imitators, the only subversion left is to blot out the sun.

— Patrick Lyons, Pitchfork, 13 Oct. 2026
The Dadaists used this gleefully and compulsively (see René Clair and Francis Picabia’s wacky Entr’Acte); so, famously, did Hideo Nakata in Y2K hit The Ring and countless imitators.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of imitator

Noun

The scene was a modern echo of the old accommodation between gangsters and the state.

— Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
While many of the Middle East’s archaeological sites invoke pharaohs, Nabataeans, Romans, Islamic civilization, and Crusaders, the columns of Al-Rajajil are an echo of a prehistoric period wrapped in mystery.

— Taylor Luck, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of echo

Browse Nearby Words

waning

wannabe

wannabes

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Style

“Wannabe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wannabe. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of wannabe

noun

Example Sentences

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