How to Use would-be in a Sentence
would-be
adjective-
Has the would-be thief found a way to bypass the sensors?
—Laura Bell Main, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023
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But she was called for a foul, negating the would-be goal.
—oregonlive, 26 Mar. 2023
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The problem is that so many of his would-be voters don’t seem to care.
—Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2024
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Near the end of the run, Fiske made a terrific move to fake out a would-be tackler.
—Gary Klein, Los Angeles Times, 2 Dec. 2024
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But as the would-be successors stacked up, the tide slowly turned to the face of those efforts.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 6 Sep. 2024
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That has pushed many would-be buyers back to the sidelines after a brief reprieve at the start of the year.
—Gina Heeb, WSJ, 2 Mar. 2023
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The song will earn far more this year than its would-be sale price would indicate.
—WIRED, 26 Sep. 2023
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That included missing a wide-open man on a would-be TD down the middle of the field.
—Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 16 Nov. 2024
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Wear it as a chest bag or waist pouch to keep your essentials close to your body — and away from would-be thieves.
—Alesandra Dubin, Travel + Leisure, 14 Feb. 2024
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The same could be said of Eden’s would-be partner Claude (Stephan James), whose time in the movie is brief but impactful.
—Rebecca Sun, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 May 2024
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All the time, the project’s costs had spiraled, both for its builders and for would-be users of its electricity.
—IEEE Spectrum, 14 Nov. 2023
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Griffith said police are still searching for the would-be thief.
—Leonard Greene, New York Daily News, 14 Jan. 2025
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Mortgage rates have come back down, and that is going to help would-be home buyers.
—Justin Lahart, WSJ, 20 Dec. 2023
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Yes, the teaser wasn’t selling this would-be blockbuster well.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2024
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The couple did not end up tying the knot in the finale and broke up a week after their would-be wedding.
—Eliza Berman, TIME, 2 Oct. 2024
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The consultant has a couple of caveats for would-be owners.
—Jamie Gold, Forbes, 14 Jan. 2025
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If the agent who opened fire on the would-be thieves feared for his life, or the life of someone else, he would have been justified in the shooting.
—Michael Ruiz, Fox News, 18 Nov. 2023
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Some would-be buyers have paused their house hunting plans due to higher rates and prices.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 27 Oct. 2023
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Holmgren’s length isn’t just used to catch lobs, and finish at the rim, it is also used to ward off would-be scorers at the rim.
—Mikai Bruce, Forbes, 29 Oct. 2024
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But Penix's throw was a beat behind the Biletnikoff Award runner-up and the two couldn't connect on the would-be walk-in touchdown.
—Detroit Free Press, 9 Jan. 2024
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Williams is showing athleticism and good hands, which could put the would-be high school senior on the field for FSU in a few weeks.
—Bob Ferrante, Orlando Sentinel, 9 Aug. 2024
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Even so, many would-be buyers have been priced out of the market, economists say.
—Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 25 Apr. 2024
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From Nassau, would-be pirates could watch the panorama of New World trade gliding by.
—Sean Kingsley, Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Apr. 2024
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The limping boy, the wag with the bear, the cad with the under look, the Londoner, the libertine, the would-be liberator: take your pick.
—Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Feb. 2024
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The would-be owners got into a conflict with the owners of the building, Maloney said, and the landlord refused to grant the group a lease.
—Esther Mobley, San Francisco Chronicle, 28 Feb. 2023
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If that’s the case, then the U.S. economy is outrunning its would-be assailant this year.
—Nick Timiraos, WSJ, 2 Sep. 2023
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Deputies encountered the would-be 12-year-old during a traffic stop Dec. 18.
—Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 27 Dec. 2024
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These scenes cast the would-be couple in a new light, not as victims of circumstance but as players in their own game.
—Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 1 Sep. 2023
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The would-be president had been kicked out of a local hotel for nonpayment.
—Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2025
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Shortly after Mangione was revealed to be the killer, social media quickly identified Franco as the actor who should play him in a would-be movie.
—Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2025
Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'would-be.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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