live wire

noun

Definition of live wirenext
1
as in pistol
a very energetic person the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in powerhouse
an ambitious person who eagerly goes after what is desired that new reporter on the police beat is a real live wire

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of live wire My daughter has been a live wire since she was born. — Marah Eakin, Vulture, 7 May 2026 One of the brothers used a carbon-fibre pole while attempting to get the bird down and touched the live wires on the power line, killing him instantly. — Escher Walcott, PEOPLE, 25 Apr. 2026 The Olympia is now absorbing this collective energy like a live wire. — Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 15 Apr. 2026 In the band’s heyday, Anthony Kiedis, with his bare torso and long girlish copper-blond hair, looked like a ’70s teen idol who’d become a Warhol hustler – a street-flesh god like Joe Dallesandro, except that where Dallesandro was in a daze, Kiedis was a live wire. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for live wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wire
  1. pistol
  2. powerhouse
  3. dynamo
Noun
  • Prosecutors allege Williams and several other suspects held a victim against his will, pistol whipped him and stripped him of his belongings, Boyd said.
    — Caroline Zimmerman, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Detectives quickly determined that Blake’s handgun was not the murder weapon, which turned out to be a Walther P38 9-millimeter pistol that had been dumped in the big commercial trash bin.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of pistol
Noun
  • But the antitrust curveball leveled two weeks ago by a dozen state AGs—repping the world’s fourth-largest economic powerhouse, California’s Rob Bonta is leading the charge—would appear to have put any near-term talks between the NFL and CBS on hold.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 31 July 2026
  • Element Pictures, the powerhouse Irish film and TV production company and awards season regular, has appointed its first in-house head of communications and marketing.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 31 July 2026
Definition of powerhouse
Noun
  • But mostly, the monarch persists because life’s job is to live; because within those thimble-size bodies hides a dynamo of survival that puts our most incredible machines to shame.
    — Vann R. Newkirk II, The Atlantic, 28 July 2026
  • Quinn Tupaea was a dynamo in midfield for New Zealand and Damian McKenzie was dangerous both from fullback and from flyhalf later in the game.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 July 2026
Definition of dynamo

Browse Nearby Words

live up to
live wire
live wires
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wire. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on live wire

Nglish: Translation of live wire for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of élan

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All