Synonyms
Examples of down-to-the-wire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
On Monday, Mikayla Renfrow, an understudy for Jasmine in Aladdin on Broadway, posted a TikTok detailing her down-to-the-wire return to the Great White Way after receiving a last-minute call to play the Disney princess onstage.
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Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023
The down-to-the-wire game ended when Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura was stuffed inches short of a first down on a 4th-and-10 scramble in overtime.
—Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2023
Pittman and company are out to find ways to reverse their fortunes in down-to-the-wire games, and a big part of that is converting on short-yardage plays and in the red zone and getting off the field more often on third and fourth downs on defense.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2023
Few are bigger than Glenville’s visit to Avon, following last year’s down-to-the-wire game that saw the Tarblooders pull out a 27-21 win on their way to an undefeated season and OHSAA Division IV state championship.
—Matt Goul, cleveland, 12 July 2023
The photo raised eyebrows among some union members who wondered why Drescher — who is the president and chair of SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee — was in Italy while her colleagues were in down-to-the-wire bargaining sessions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
—Anousha Sakoui, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2023
Second spoiler alert: Wrexham finally did achieve promotion in the 2022-23 season, in excruciatingly down-to-the-wire circumstances, and that will be the subject of Season 2.
—Andrew Barker, Variety, 19 June 2023
In a fierce, down-to-the-wire battle with eventual winner Josef Newgarden, Grosjean lined up a couple of late runs at the leader but could never quite connect.
—Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2023
That figures to make for some low scores and maybe a down-to-the-wire finish.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2023
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Sam Burros, Peoplemag, 21 Sep. 2023
The down-to-the-wire game ended when Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura was stuffed inches short of a first down on a 4th-and-10 scramble in overtime.
—Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2023
Pittman and company are out to find ways to reverse their fortunes in down-to-the-wire games, and a big part of that is converting on short-yardage plays and in the red zone and getting off the field more often on third and fourth downs on defense.
—Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2023
Few are bigger than Glenville’s visit to Avon, following last year’s down-to-the-wire game that saw the Tarblooders pull out a 27-21 win on their way to an undefeated season and OHSAA Division IV state championship.
—Matt Goul, cleveland, 12 July 2023
The photo raised eyebrows among some union members who wondered why Drescher — who is the president and chair of SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee — was in Italy while her colleagues were in down-to-the-wire bargaining sessions with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers.
—Anousha Sakoui, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2023
Second spoiler alert: Wrexham finally did achieve promotion in the 2022-23 season, in excruciatingly down-to-the-wire circumstances, and that will be the subject of Season 2.
—Andrew Barker, Variety, 19 June 2023
In a fierce, down-to-the-wire battle with eventual winner Josef Newgarden, Grosjean lined up a couple of late runs at the leader but could never quite connect.
—Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2023
That figures to make for some low scores and maybe a down-to-the-wire finish.
—Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'down-to-the-wire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1930, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near down-to-the-wire
Cite this Entry
“Down-to-the-wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/down-to-the-wire. Accessed 11 Dec. 2023.
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