gonnabe

From gonna (“contraction of going to”) +‎ be, modelled after wannabe.

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɡənəbi/, /ˈɡʌn-/, /ˈɡɒn-/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɡʌnəbi/, /ˈɡɔn-/, /ˈɡən-/
• Hyphenation: gon‧na‧be

gonnabe (plural gonnabes)

1. (informal) One who is on the path to becoming famous or important.
   • 2006, Linda Alice Dewey, “Acknowledgements”, in Aaron’s Crossing: An Inspiring True Ghost Story, Charlottesville, Va.: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, →ISBN, page 206:

     I attribute any success I have to the following educators in my life: New York agent Jim Cypher […] early on taught me that the difference between “wannabes” and “gonnabes” is persistence; […]

   • 2007 August 6, Kelefa Sanneh, “Punk on parade, with flexible marching orders”, in The New York Times‎, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2022-11-26:

     Alkaline Trio, New Found Glory, Coheed and Cambria, the Starting Line: all have struggled to meet high expectations, and maybe some of them were relieved to be playing this summer’s Warped Tour, nestled among the wannabes and gonnabes.

   • 2014, Tom Pease, “Touring Entrepreneurship Land and Meriting Citizenship: You Can’t Give What You Don’t Have”, in Small Business Survival 101: Principles for Fail Proofing Your Business, New York, N.Y.: Morgan James Publishing, →ISBN, page 22:

     It is doubtful you could instruct Babe Ruth into being a home run king or Usain Bolt into world’s fastest human. They just have something. You can throw money at a wannabe but that won’t make him a gonnabe.

   • 2022, Polly Hamilton Hilsabeck, American Blues ‎, Berkeley, Calif.: She Writes Press, →ISBN:

     'So you're a wannabe?' / 'Hopefully, a gonnabe.'

• up-and-comer
• wannabe