: that is to be : future
—usually used postpositively and often in combination
a bride-to-be
Examples of to-be in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Drew Scott can’t help but gush about his wife and mother-of-two to-be.
—
Alex Cramer, Peoplemag, 28 Jan. 2024
Emotional parents took proud photos on their cellphones before sending the children off, teachers corralled their students into lesson plans, and shy kids met their soon- to-be best friends.
—Heidi Levine, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023
Flo Milli’s edit is the first in the collab, but more to-be-revealed artists will curate their own in the coming months.
—Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 8 Apr. 2023
The Nets will be up against a soon-to-be two-time scoring champion.
—Tim Reynolds, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for to-be 
Alex Cramer, Peoplemag, 28 Jan. 2024
Emotional parents took proud photos on their cellphones before sending the children off, teachers corralled their students into lesson plans, and shy kids met their soon- to-be best friends.
—Heidi Levine, Washington Post, 5 Sep. 2023
Flo Milli’s edit is the first in the collab, but more to-be-revealed artists will curate their own in the coming months.
—Erica Gonzales, ELLE, 8 Apr. 2023
The Nets will be up against a soon-to-be two-time scoring champion.
—Tim Reynolds, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2023
See all Example Sentences for to-be
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'to-be.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near to-be
Cite this Entry
“To-be.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/to-be. Accessed 2 Oct. 2024.
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