has-been
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“Not a star, just another has-been, lacing up his sneakers in an empty gym on a Wednesday night.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 25, 2026
Colombian writer-director Simón Mesa Soto’s acutely observed Cannes-recognized “A Poet” lays bare that torment with the tale of a has-been writer for whom exquisite suffering has curdled into garden-variety middle-age failure.
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 30, 2026
He’s invited her to coffee not as father and daughter, but as a has-been angling to cast Nora as the lead of his next film, which he claims he’s written for her.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025
Among other things, he has called you a fraudster and a failed political has-been, but you’re not responding in kind.
From Slate • Oct. 15, 2025
“I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year, what’s it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?”
From "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" by J.K. Rowling
