1
as in pistols
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 powerhouses
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
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Recent Examples of live wires
On the other hand, the Cracker Barrel debacle touched so many live wires of American politics that the story was simply irresistible.
—
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wires
Noun
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Investigators found 16 guns including two pistols believed to have been used by a man who fatally shot his wife and their two children, then turned the gun on himself, in a murder-suicide inside the family’s Rancho Cordova home.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Presumably that meant plastic pistols were nonstarters.—
Dan Piepenbring,
Harpers Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Wallace's Indianapolis show will honor powerhouses Billie Holiday, Amy Winehouse, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald and Whitney Houston.—
Domenica Bongiovanni,
IndyStar,
6 Jan. 2026
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In addition to the Red Cross partnership, Peanuts Worldwide this year has rolled out collaborations with all kinds of retailers, from luxury brands like Coach and Kith to mass-market powerhouses like Krispy Kreme and Starbucks.—
Malia Mendez,
Twin Cities,
4 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Live wires.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wires. Accessed 31 Jan. 2026.
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