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
New York City's Democratic primary for mayor is coming down to the wire, with dueling polls painting starkly different pictures of the race's outcome.
—
Hannah Parry
amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Qualification for the knockout stages of the Club World Cup from group E will go down to the wire after Monterrey held River Plate to a 0-0 draw at the Rose Bowl.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Hurley has another competitive roster returning at UConn, and a hunger to get back to the sport’s pinnacle after winning back-to-back titles in ’23 and ’24, and taking the eventual champs down to the wire this past March.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2025
And once again, the two teams will meet in the Cup final with last year’s series going down to the wire in a historic Game 7.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Hannah Parry
amanda Castro, MSNBC Newsweek, 24 June 2025
Qualification for the knockout stages of the Club World Cup from group E will go down to the wire after Monterrey held River Plate to a 0-0 draw at the Rose Bowl.
—Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 22 June 2025
Hurley has another competitive roster returning at UConn, and a hunger to get back to the sport’s pinnacle after winning back-to-back titles in ’23 and ’24, and taking the eventual champs down to the wire this past March.
—Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 4 June 2025
And once again, the two teams will meet in the Cup final with last year’s series going down to the wire in a historic Game 7.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 4 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 3 Jul. 2025.
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