How to Use down-to-the-wire in a Sentence

down-to-the-wire

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  • That figures to make for some low scores and maybe a down-to-the-wire finish.
    Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2023
  • So, what’s another down-to-the-wire finish for this team?
    Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
  • So, what’s another down-to-the-wire finish for this team?
    Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 30 Jan. 2025
  • The Chiefs and Lions advanced with tough, down-to-the-wire victories on Sunday.
    Rob Maaddi, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024
  • Muhl’s appearance was brief in the down-to-the-wire battle, which ended in an 85-83 victory for the Storm.
    Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2024
  • While the coach spoke briefly about his heritage following the down-to-the-wire victory, he’s been open about his background in the past.
    Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2025
  • While the coach spoke briefly about his heritage following the down-to-the-wire victory, he’s been open about his background in the past.
    Kimmy Yam, NBC News, 10 Jan. 2025
  • Dallas fought back and forced a hold situation in the 65th minute as both teams prepared for a down-to-the-wire finish.
    Matt Guzman, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2024
  • Unfortunately, for those of us who love down-to-the-wire drama, most of the major domestic leagues have very little to play for.
    Brett Koremenos, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2025
  • The down-to-the-wire game ended when Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura was stuffed inches short of a first down on a 4th-and-10 scramble in overtime.
    Joe Freeman, oregonlive, 15 Sep. 2023
  • With two elite quarterbacks, top-tier offenses, and strong defenses, this game has all the ingredients for a down-to-the-wire finish.
    Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
  • With two elite quarterbacks, top-tier offenses, and strong defenses, this game has all the ingredients for a down-to-the-wire finish.
    Joel Thayer, Newsweek, 26 Jan. 2025
  • Skokie’s election season did not end on Election Day, and a district trustee declared victory in a down-to-the-wire finish almost two weeks after the polls closed.
    Richard Requena, Chicago Tribune, 22 Apr. 2025
  • In a fierce, down-to-the-wire battle with eventual winner Josef Newgarden, Grosjean lined up a couple of late runs at the leader but could never quite connect.
    Nathan Brown, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Apr. 2023
  • One is that Trump and Harris are truly fighting for every last vote, in what is perhaps the most down-to-the-wire presidential race in modern US history.
    Jason Ma, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024
  • Pittman and company are out to find ways to reverse their fortunes in down-to-the-wire games, and a big part of that is converting on short-yardage plays and in the red zone and getting off the field more often on third and fourth downs on defense.
    Tom Murphy, Arkansas Online, 4 Aug. 2023
  • Jacobs is notorious for down-to-the-wire decisions, and the beauty for his 40th anniversary show was no exception.
    Arden Fanning Andrews, Vogue, 3 Feb. 2024
  • Westfield ended Carmel’s seven-year sectional title reign last year in a down-to-the-wire 59-54 sectional championship game.
    The Indianapolis Star, 28 Feb. 2023
  • Behind another 100-plus medal performance and a down-to-the-wire race for the most gold medals are tentacles that stretch from the most hallowed academic halls to the after-school recreation program at the local YMCA.
    Matthew Futterman, The Athletic, 11 Aug. 2024
  • Through two full rounds, these playoffs have given us down-to-the-wire finishes, big time upsets and huge individual performances.
    The Arizona Republic, 24 Feb. 2023
  • Another week, another down-to-the-wire win for Denver.
    Joe Nguyen, Denver Post, 2 Dec. 2025
  • Another super-small spread (-1 for the Jags) hints at down-to-the-wire showmanship.
    Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'down-to-the-wire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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