From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishwould-beˈwould-be ●○○ adjective → would-be actor/murderer etc
Examples from the Corpus
would-be• The Drama Centre is a great help for all would-be actors and actresses.• No one man changed football more in this century than the would-be colliery official who drifted by chance into soccer management.• Finally, there may be costs incurred by would-be developers who attempt to produce capital gains by getting planning permission.• Not only does a company interview prospective employees, the would-be employees are supposed to interview the company.• And they also believe that would-be organic farmers should be encouraged with financial incentives.• So far, the most desperate of measures has not been taken, perhaps because would-be refugees have nowhere to run.• A morning rain may have kept some would-be voters home. 