1
as in pistol
a very energetic person
the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in powerhouse
an ambitious person who eagerly goes after what is desired
that new reporter on the police beat is a real live wire
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of live wire
Thieves also have been electrocuted while trying to steal copper from live wires.
—
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 27 May 2025
Krieger says the singer was a live wire literally from the band's formation.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 14 May 2025
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said one of the two deaths happened when a Pittsburgh man was electrocuted by live wires, per Accuweather.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Like other great comedy duos, Vaughn and Wilson are a smoothly compatible mismatch; Vaughn’s energy is cranked up, a sparking live wire, while Wilson is an easy-breezy roll-with-it type.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Martha Ross, Mercury News, 27 May 2025
Krieger says the singer was a live wire literally from the band's formation.
—Marco Della Cava, USA Today, 14 May 2025
The Pittsburgh Public Safety Department said one of the two deaths happened when a Pittsburgh man was electrocuted by live wires, per Accuweather.
—Raven Brunner, People.com, 30 Apr. 2025
Like other great comedy duos, Vaughn and Wilson are a smoothly compatible mismatch; Vaughn’s energy is cranked up, a sparking live wire, while Wilson is an easy-breezy roll-with-it type.
—Jason Bailey, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wire
Noun
-
New Zealand has strict gun laws, which require an additional permit for possessing pistols specifically.—
Hollie Silverman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Police said the investigation uncovered a series of videos, alleged to have been taken in Milpitas by the suspect or an acquaintance, showing a person repeatedly firing an semiautomatic pistol into the air and at a wall.—
Robert Salonga,
Mercury News,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The project examines how Elizabeth Taylor transformed from a child actress into a powerhouse performer, global businesswoman, and humanitarian whose influence on celebrity culture echoes today.—
Adisa Hargett-Robinson,
The Washington Examiner,
6 Oct. 2025
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Taylor Swift is an enormous commercial powerhouse.—
Choire Sicha,
CNN Money,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Edison’s bulb was just one piece of a much more complicated system that included an efficient dynamo – the powerful machine that generated electricity – plus a network of underground wires and new types of lamps.—
Ernest Freeberg,
The Conversation,
29 Sep. 2025
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The new season of the UEFA Champions League gets underway on Tuesday as Dutch dynamo PSV Eindhoven hosts Belgian side Union Saint-Gilloise.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
16 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wire. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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