might-have-been

noun
🔊/ˈmaɪt həv biːn/, 🔊/ˈmaɪt həv bɪn/
🔊/ˈmaɪt həv bɪn/
[usually plural] (informal)
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  1. an event or situation that could have happened or that you wish had happened, but that did not本来可能发生的事;未遂心愿的事
    • A Gore presidency remains one of the great political might-have-beens.戈尔总统任职期间仍然是伟大的政治力量之一。
    • I am not concerned with the might-have-beens but with the facts.我不关心可能拥有的东西,而是事实。