1.
You use ~ to describe someone who wants to be the thing mentioned or who is likely to be the thing mentioned.
The story should act as a warning to other ~ buyers...
When his ~ employers learned that he smoked, they said they wouldn’t hire him.
= would-be
ADJ: ADJ n
2.
You use ~ to describe something that is likely to happen soon.
...the terms of the ~ deal.
ADJ: ADJ n