Wannabe Definition

wänəbē, wônəbē
wannabes
noun
wannabes
A person who wants to be or be like someone else or to attain some status or condition.
A rock-star wannabe.
Webster's New World
One who aspires to a role or position.
American Heritage
One who imitates the behavior, customs, or dress of an admired person or group.
American Heritage
A product designed to imitate the qualities or characteristics of something.
American Heritage

Someone who wishes to be or do something, but lacks the qualifications or talent; an overeager amateur; an aspirant.

Hollywood's restaurants are full of wannabe actors waiting to be discovered.
Wiktionary
Synonyms:
adjective
Wishing or aspiring to be; would-be.
American Heritage

Other Word Forms of Wannabe

Noun

Singular:
wannabe
Plural:
wannabes

Origin of Wannabe

  • Wannabe is a noun formed from a complex verb combination of the phrase, "want to be". Wannabe can be considered a conversion, category change, or functional shift.

    From Wiktionary

  • Written form of a reduction of "want to be"

    From Wiktionary

  • Alteration of want to be

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Related Articles

Find Similar Words

Find similar words to wannabe using the buttons below.

Words Starting With

Words Ending With

Unscrambles

wannabe