Slang

wannabe

This page is about the slang term wannabe

Meaning

a person who wants to be the type of person they admire, or part of a group or class of people they admire

For example

  • Surfer wannabes dress and act like surfers even though they don't often go to the beach, and can't surf very well.

  • Los Angeles is full of wannabe actors who dream of becoming movie stars even though they have little talent and little chance of getting work.

Note:
can also be used as an adjective (see the second example sentence above)

Origin: derived from pronouncing "want to be" as if it were one single word

Quick Quiz

Marcie is a wannabe singer, and she's

a. releasing her second album soon

b. hoping to perform in a talent contest

c. just done another big concert tour
a) releasing her second album soon b) hoping to perform in a talent contest c) just done another big concert tour

See Slang of the Day today

Contributor: Matt Errey