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 figuratively

The election went/came (right) down to the wire.

Examples of the wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hang the wire over the tabs at the bottom, then use the push pin to mark the hole right at the center every time. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 22 Aug. 2026

Right before guests arrive, attach fishing line to the wire cage and hang the fall flower arrangement using cup hooks indoors or on nearby branches outside. — Maria Sabella, Architectural Digest, 20 Aug. 2026

No one wrote down the year the rural electric cooperative workers brought the wire to her house in the late 1940s. — Destenie Nock, The Conversation, 19 Aug. 2026

Can’t Sleep lost by a nose at the wire to Amorita in the July 25 Daisycutter. — Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Aug. 2026

Rhymes for the wire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar