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 vote could go down to the wire, according to Marc Robinson, a former GM economist and game-theory expert who has been blogging about the strike.
—
Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023
Today alone the prosecutors seem to have the wire fraud case involving FTX customers made, and are close to making the conspiracy to commit securities fraud on investors in FTX.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2023
On Tuesday, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, sued the Biden administration over agents’ cutting of the wire, saying the practice damaged Texas property and harmed the state’s effort to deter migrant arrivals.
—J. David Goodman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023
The Democratic state chairpersons also said Texas ought to immediately take down the wire.
—Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, 19 Oct. 2023
As the settlement crossed the wire, Bauer released a video talking about the ordeal and revealed damning messages from the woman to her friends.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 3 Oct. 2023
If border agents don’t cut the wire, crossers deploy blankets and items of clothing to climb over the obstruction, or tunnel through it, often ending up bloodied.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes plunged a mercury wire into liquid helium and noticed that the wire’s electrical resistance vanished.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Sep. 2023
Down to the wire Lindskog can’t stay in his seat anymore.
—Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
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Jeanne Whalen, Washington Post, 15 Nov. 2023
Today alone the prosecutors seem to have the wire fraud case involving FTX customers made, and are close to making the conspiracy to commit securities fraud on investors in FTX.
—Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2023
On Tuesday, the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, sued the Biden administration over agents’ cutting of the wire, saying the practice damaged Texas property and harmed the state’s effort to deter migrant arrivals.
—J. David Goodman, New York Times, 26 Oct. 2023
The Democratic state chairpersons also said Texas ought to immediately take down the wire.
—Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, 19 Oct. 2023
As the settlement crossed the wire, Bauer released a video talking about the ordeal and revealed damning messages from the woman to her friends.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 3 Oct. 2023
If border agents don’t cut the wire, crossers deploy blankets and items of clothing to climb over the obstruction, or tunnel through it, often ending up bloodied.
—Patrick J. McDonnell, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2023
In 1911, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes plunged a mercury wire into liquid helium and noticed that the wire’s electrical resistance vanished.
—IEEE Spectrum, 18 Sep. 2023
Down to the wire Lindskog can’t stay in his seat anymore.
—Ronald D. White, Los Angeles Times, 10 Oct. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the wire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the wire
Cite this Entry
“The wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20wire. Accessed 2 Dec. 2023.
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