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
Corkie putting the snake into the tub looks like the sentinels or the wire going into people’s pods.
—
Nick Newman, IndieWire, 1 June 2026
After sending the wire transfer, the person who wired the money found out the email requesting payment was fraudulent.
—Jake Richardson, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Well, Wordlers, the last weekend of May is here and those of us playing Competitive Wordle are down to the wire.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
In April, the president traveled to Miami to sit cageside at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event, embracing UFC CEO Dana White, his friend and supporter, and watching attentively through the wire as the fighters spilled blood.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 28 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Nick Newman, IndieWire, 1 June 2026
After sending the wire transfer, the person who wired the money found out the email requesting payment was fraudulent.
—Jake Richardson, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Well, Wordlers, the last weekend of May is here and those of us playing Competitive Wordle are down to the wire.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 29 May 2026
In April, the president traveled to Miami to sit cageside at an Ultimate Fighting Championship event, embracing UFC CEO Dana White, his friend and supporter, and watching attentively through the wire as the fighters spilled blood.
—Harmeet Kaur, CNN Money, 28 May 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 4 Jun. 2026.
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