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
Pastoria is sliding in just under the wire, as projects must start construction by July or begin running by the end of next year.
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Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
All three Red Wall locations are purple states where elections between Republicans and Democrats can come down to the wire.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Historically, negotiations between the two sides have gone down to the wire.
—Doug Williams, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
There is also the spectre of NBC’s unceremonious cancellation of Law & Order after 20 seasons that also came down to the wire in May 2010.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2026
All three Red Wall locations are purple states where elections between Republicans and Democrats can come down to the wire.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 17 Apr. 2026
Historically, negotiations between the two sides have gone down to the wire.
—Doug Williams, CBS News, 17 Apr. 2026
There is also the spectre of NBC’s unceremonious cancellation of Law & Order after 20 seasons that also came down to the wire in May 2010.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Apr. 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 23 Apr. 2026.
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