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
Remove the front of the old thermostat and look at the wire connections.
—
Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2026
Kansas big man Paul Mbiya is staying with the Jayhawks after negotiations between his representatives and KU came down to the wire before the transfer portal closed Tuesday night.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
Alhathaleen says children have been protesting near the road every day since the wire went up.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The union’s leaders called a strike authorization vote less than a month in, negotiated down to the wire, then launched a strike that lasted nearly five months and only ended once some of the industry’s top CEOs got involved.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 21 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Tribune Content Agency, Baltimore Sun, 27 Apr. 2026
Kansas big man Paul Mbiya is staying with the Jayhawks after negotiations between his representatives and KU came down to the wire before the transfer portal closed Tuesday night.
—Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 26 Apr. 2026
Alhathaleen says children have been protesting near the road every day since the wire went up.
—Zeena Saifi, CNN Money, 22 Apr. 2026
The union’s leaders called a strike authorization vote less than a month in, negotiated down to the wire, then launched a strike that lasted nearly five months and only ended once some of the industry’s top CEOs got involved.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 21 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 29 Apr. 2026.
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