wannabe

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.

I was a young wannabe filmmaker trying to learn how to make movies, and somebody like me was up there onstage telling a story about how he got there.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 21, 2026

Is the owner an absentee plutocrat who texts “Sounds good” from Davos or a wannabe Rockne who played six or seven downs at Choate?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

In Hollywood, there’s an old joke among wannabe actors scraping by doing odd jobs between auditions: “Well, right now I’m parking cars, but what I really want to do is direct!”

From Salon • Jan. 1, 2026

"Never in your life label me a thug again. Never label me a wannabe gangster," he said.

From BBC • Nov. 27, 2025

A wannabe vampire, or maybe a Kool-Aid freak?

From "The Mark of Athena" by Rick Riordan