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
Pass the ends of the wire under the thighs and cross over the leg joints; twist to secure.
—
Peter Barrett, Outside Online, 9 June 2025
Activists said the wire was endangering the lives of those trying to cross into the United States, especially via rivers at the border where the wire was installed.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 9 June 2025
Baeza toiled through the wire in show two lengths behind Journalism.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Real Quiet is denied the Triple Crown when Victory Gallop edges him at the wire in the Belmont Stakes.
1999 — Andre Agassi rallies to win the French Open and become the fifth man to complete a career Grand Slam.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Peter Barrett, Outside Online, 9 June 2025
Activists said the wire was endangering the lives of those trying to cross into the United States, especially via rivers at the border where the wire was installed.
—Josh Meyer, USA Today, 9 June 2025
Baeza toiled through the wire in show two lengths behind Journalism.
—Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025
Real Quiet is denied the Triple Crown when Victory Gallop edges him at the wire in the Belmont Stakes.
1999 — Andre Agassi rallies to win the French Open and become the fifth man to complete a career Grand Slam.
—Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 6 June 2025
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 15 Jun. 2025.
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