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
Personal coffee beverages were sitting on the prep tables, and a water bottle with an unapproved screw top lid was stored on the wire storage rack.
—
Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
The dismissal of the wire fraud count could have scuttled that case.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
Even Indiana, which won by 10 at Oregon and has been destroying almost every other team on its schedule, went down to the wire in a five-point win at Iowa.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
The final race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season came down to the wire with Kyle Larson beating out Denny Hamlin to secure his second career Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona on Sunday.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Sacbee.com, 7 Nov. 2025
The dismissal of the wire fraud count could have scuttled that case.
—City News Service, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
Even Indiana, which won by 10 at Oregon and has been destroying almost every other team on its schedule, went down to the wire in a five-point win at Iowa.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
The final race of the 2025 NASCAR Cup Series season came down to the wire with Kyle Larson beating out Denny Hamlin to secure his second career Cup Series championship at Phoenix Raceway in Avondale, Arizona on Sunday.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 3 Nov. 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 12 Nov. 2025.
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