would-be - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

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would-be

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Concise Oxford English Dictionary © 2008 Oxford University Press:
would-be

▶adjective desiring or aspiring to be a specified type of person: a would-be actress.

'would-be' also found in these Oxford entries:

absolute magnitude - advised - analytic - as - assurance - blue note - carpet - collation - diffuse - disabled - double negative - dress rehearsal - formal - hoi polloi - impracticable - nuclear threshold - partial pressure - peril - re- - should - spaghettification - ticket - tooth

Forum discussions with the word(s) "would-be" in the title:

. . . . . how far it would be for the happiness of both . . . . .
... he would be trying to help now.
...as nice as I thought (it would be)
...is on TV...was on TV OR would be on TV
...it would be (a) high school teacher
...when the adoptee would be 18 years old
"He WOULD be away!"
"I would be happy" or "I will be happy" or "I am happy"
"if there's a hope left, I wish it would be with you again"
"In no time, the house would be <permeated, filled> with a reek of burning coffee."
"It would be so nice if you guys came"
"Might have known you lot would be behind that somehow"
"Some people would bet on only the places where winning person would be betting"
"We would be grateful..."
"Will be" or "would be"?
"will be" VS "would be"
75 percent of what it would be [as?] if the alpha component were ....
a boyfriend would be nice
A mother-to-be, a would-be mother
A rook would be....
a would be doctor
ability to associate would be associativeness?
AE/BE I thought it <would be, would have been> easier to post a thread here.
All I would get in return [is/was/would be]
all too soon it would be time to leave
althought the ozone would be vulnerable for a decade after then.
Any comment(s) would be highly appreciated.
application would be cancelled
As there would be
auxiliary verbs used as modifiers like "a would-be lover"
more...

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