✨📕 The NEWThe NEW Collegiate Dictionary, 12th Edition Over 5,000 words added — Buy Now! Collegiate DictionaryBuy Now!

live wire

noun

: an alert, active, or aggressive person
live-wire adjective

Examples of live wire in a Sentence

She's a real live wire. the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The new science is causing not just a technological sensation, but also a cultural one, twanging a live wire in the popular mind. Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025 That'd essentially be a live wire, said Mark Goldstein, a Wisconsin attorney for Goldstein Law Group S.C., which specializes in employment and corporate law. Gina Lee Castro, jsonline.com, 23 Oct. 2025 Critics after the screening agreed that when given a character perfectly tailored to his strengths (cocky sincerity, charismatic twerpiness), Timmy is a live wire. Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025 Harry is suing the tabloid's publisher, Associated Newspapers, on allegations that include phone hacking and live wire tapping of calls. Jack Royston, MSNBC Newsweek, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for live wire

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of live wire was in 1881

Cite this Entry

“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20wire. Accessed 29 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

live wire

noun
: an alert, active, or forceful person
live-wire adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on live wire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!