Informal a person or thing that was formerly popular or effective but is no longer so: a dismissive term
noun
The definition of a has-been is a person or thing that used to be popular or helpful.
An example of a has-been is a once famous actor who no one has heard about in decades.
YourDictionary definition and usage example. Copyright © 2018 by LoveToKnow Corp
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"has-been." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been>.
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has-been. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been
has-been
Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"has-been." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been>.
APA Style
has-been. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been
has-been
noun
pl. has-beens InformalOne that is no longer famous, popular, successful, or useful.
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"has-been." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been>.
APA Style
has-been. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been
Noun
(plural has-beens)
- (pejorative) A person, especially one formerly popular or influential, who continues in their field after their popularity or effectiveness has peaked and is now in decline.
Usage notes
- Typically said of professionals or celebrities whose prime is behind them.
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
Link to this page
Cite this page
MLA Style
"has-been." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been>.
APA Style
has-been. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/has-been
Sentence Examples
- The Surreal Life - A show where has-been celebrities live together in one house for two weeks completing challenges and achieving one ultimate goal together.
- Nighy starred as Bill Mack, the has-been pop star in the romantic comedy Love Actually.
- Just after the world thought that pop princess Britney Spears had fizzled into a has-been, she showed up on the list at Wondrous.com that states her 2010 earnings to have been $64 million.
- I'm a bitch and a middle-aged has-been.