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
The aircraft can carry as many as 17 skydivers and can take off and land on short runways, the wire service reported.
—
Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Every tilt between the Spurs and Knicks has come down to the wire.
—Joelle Gross, NBC news, 11 June 2026
The Spurs have built double-digit leads in every game, only to see the Knicks eventually storm back before the game goes down to the wire.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Proposals submitted before the plan is complete would still be subject to the bill, so there may be a rush of plans submitted to cities to get in under the wire, Pali said.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Cindy Von Quednow, CNN Money, 14 June 2026
Every tilt between the Spurs and Knicks has come down to the wire.
—Joelle Gross, NBC news, 11 June 2026
The Spurs have built double-digit leads in every game, only to see the Knicks eventually storm back before the game goes down to the wire.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 10 June 2026
Proposals submitted before the plan is complete would still be subject to the bill, so there may be a rush of plans submitted to cities to get in under the wire, Pali said.
—Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 9 June 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 17 Jun. 2026.
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