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 final race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season came down to the wire with Kyle Larson beating out Denny Hamlin to secure his second career Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona on Sunday.
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Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The men’s portion of the New York City Marathon came down to the wire on Sunday.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Earlier this week, as the carriage talks were going down to the wire, the company announced the closing of its acquisition of Fubo, giving it 6 million subscribers across Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
The college football Week 9 schedule didn’t look all that electrifying on paper, but Saturday’s action delivered again — especially in the SEC, which produced four high-profile games that went down to the wire plus Texas A&M’s statement win at LSU.
—Dane Brugler, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2025
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Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
The men’s portion of the New York City Marathon came down to the wire on Sunday.
—Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2025
Earlier this week, as the carriage talks were going down to the wire, the company announced the closing of its acquisition of Fubo, giving it 6 million subscribers across Fubo and Hulu + Live TV.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2025
The college football Week 9 schedule didn’t look all that electrifying on paper, but Saturday’s action delivered again — especially in the SEC, which produced four high-profile games that went down to the wire plus Texas A&M’s statement win at LSU.
—Dane Brugler, New York Times, 26 Oct. 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 7 Nov. 2025.
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