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 figuratively

The election went/came (right) down to the wire.

Examples of the wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Days later, Brun was caught on the wire plotting to acquire a rifle for Manguchei, who, as a felon, was not allowed to own firearms. — Guthrie Scrimgeour, Rolling Stone, 2 Aug. 2026

Flaco, who lived in the Central Park Zoo for 13 years, escaped when someone cut the wire mesh on his cage. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 1 Aug. 2026

The moment Carlsson’s $18 million baseline hit the wire, Grier’s timeline shrank from months to minutes. — Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 29 July 2026

Mike Smith had Cabo Spirit on the lead throughout the 1 1/8-mile run and still looked strong nearing the wire. — Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 July 2026

Rhymes for the wire

• briar
• brier
• buyer
• choir
• crier
• cryer
• drier
• dryer
• eyer
• flier
• flyer
• friar