as in narrow
showing little difference in the standing of the competitors
a down-to-the-wire contest for the pennant
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Recent Examples of down-to-the-wire
However, here are three positive takeaways from the down-to-the-wire 87-85 Mavericks victory.
—
Kambui Bomani, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
That also meant there was a flurry of activity in Sacramento last week, with legislators giving the down-to-the-wire OK for bills pertaining to housing, worker safety, public transit projects and more.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
In a down-to-the-wire race among the six iconic Wienermobiles that serve as goodwill ambassadors for Oscar Mayer, the hot dog-on-wheels representing the Southeast proved to be the big dog on Carb Day ahead of Sunday’s running of the Indianapolis 500.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
But the film also has plenty of down-to-the-wire tension, as when Benji (Simon Pegg) directs a bomb defusion through the fog of his collapsing lung.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for down-to-the-wire
Kambui Bomani, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025
That also meant there was a flurry of activity in Sacramento last week, with legislators giving the down-to-the-wire OK for bills pertaining to housing, worker safety, public transit projects and more.
—Kaitlyn Schallhorn, Oc Register, 9 June 2025
In a down-to-the-wire race among the six iconic Wienermobiles that serve as goodwill ambassadors for Oscar Mayer, the hot dog-on-wheels representing the Southeast proved to be the big dog on Carb Day ahead of Sunday’s running of the Indianapolis 500.
—Dave Skretta, Chicago Tribune, 23 May 2025
But the film also has plenty of down-to-the-wire tension, as when Benji (Simon Pegg) directs a bomb defusion through the fog of his collapsing lung.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for down-to-the-wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-to-the-wire
Adjective
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One was needed with a narrow temperature range; in Helm’s case, inglorious British maritime.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Its cities have narrow and twisting streets.—
Jamie L. LaReau,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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Trump levied his greatest assault against the international economic order, announcing the most expansive set of tariffs in American history on both autocratic adversaries and America’s closest democratic allies in April 2025 (Russia was strikingly excluded).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
5 Nov. 2025
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Trump, however, made inroads with New Jersey voters in November 2024, making for a surprisingly close race.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
There’s something rare about Swain, who is a young brainiac, but one who has built his business the old-fashioned, pre-quant-trading and Excel models Wall Street way, via charm offensives that weave webs of tight relationships few rivals can match.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
1 Nov. 2025
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Money was tight, especially when Smith’s father, who worked as a machinist after returning from World War II, was on strike.—
Amy Weiss-Meyer,
The Atlantic,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Down-to-the-wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-to-the-wire. Accessed 5 Nov. 2025.
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