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
As final voting wraps up, a number of major races look to be going down to the wire.
—
Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Last July that court decided to vacate the theft of federal programs convictions but upheld the wire fraud convictions.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
And the manufacturer’s speed limiter had been disabled by cutting the wire and connecting it to a key switch, allowing the rider to push the bike to 60 mph.
—Cierra Morgan
march 4, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
The patient in Spain did not have direct contact with pigs, according to the wire agency.
—Bymary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Nate Jones, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2026
Last July that court decided to vacate the theft of federal programs convictions but upheld the wire fraud convictions.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
And the manufacturer’s speed limiter had been disabled by cutting the wire and connecting it to a key switch, allowing the rider to push the bike to 60 mph.
—Cierra Morgan
march 4, Los Angeles Times, 4 Mar. 2026
The patient in Spain did not have direct contact with pigs, according to the wire agency.
—Bymary Kekatos, ABC News, 3 Mar. 2026
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 13 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
