the wire
noun
US
: a thin piece of string that the winner of a race breaks through at the end of the race
The marathon ended in a sprint to the wire by the two top runners.
—often used figurativelyThe election went/came (right) down to the wire.
Examples of the wire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Over the last month and a half, more than a dozen new plays and musicals have opened in New York's theater district, coming in just under the wire before Tony Awards nominations are announced May 5.
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Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026
Paying informants is not a crime, and the government has provided no evidence that the SPLC’s donors were duped about the SPLC’s practice of sending such payments, which is the foundation of the wire-fraud allegation.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Champions League race going to the wire The game of the weekend?
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 3 May 2026
Patrick Nwaokwu, 55, of Laurel, was sentenced to 21 months, to be followed by two years of probation for the wire fraud scheme, court officials said.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 3 May 2026
Paying informants is not a crime, and the government has provided no evidence that the SPLC’s donors were duped about the SPLC’s practice of sending such payments, which is the foundation of the wire-fraud allegation.
—Quinta Jurecic, The Atlantic, 3 May 2026
Champions League race going to the wire The game of the weekend?
—Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 3 May 2026
Patrick Nwaokwu, 55, of Laurel, was sentenced to 21 months, to be followed by two years of probation for the wire fraud scheme, court officials said.
—Jt Moodee Lockman, CBS News, 29 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
Cite this Entry
“The wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20wire. Accessed 11 May. 2026.
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