1
as in pistol
a very energetic person
the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of live wire
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
And upon her return, Dana is a live wire.
—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
Place is a live wire 6 minutes before kickoff.
—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
17 Jan. 2026
As the person drove to the site, UI received four phone calls from the city of New Haven Fire Dispatch reporting that a live wire was down, PURA wrote.
—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
And upon her return, Dana is a live wire.
—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
6 Mar. 2026
Place is a live wire 6 minutes before kickoff.
—
Joe Nguyen,
Denver Post,
17 Jan. 2026
As the person drove to the site, UI received four phone calls from the city of New Haven Fire Dispatch reporting that a live wire was down, PURA wrote.
—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
9 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wire
Noun
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The seizures added up to about 420 grams of cocaine, $2,291 in cash, a rifle, four pistols, various magazines and ammunition, and digital scales and packaging materials believed to be used in narcotics distribution, the sheriff's office said.
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At one point, the Challenger’s passenger threw an AR-style pistol out the window.
Noun
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Wicked, another Broadway powerhouse, famously lost in that category, but that hardly dispels the correlation between Tony awards and staying power, seeing as Wicked won in three other categories.
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Night after night, my For You Page is flooded with her powerhouse performances of her greatest hits.
Noun
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Against Scotland, the left-footed dynamo will be desperate for his first chance to leave an imprint on this World Cup.
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Prince gave his first comment on the two dynamo’s diametric philosophies during conversations with New Yorker contributor Dan Piepenbring, co-writer of the artist’s unfinished, posthumous 2019 No. 1 New York Times best-selling memoir The Beautiful Ones.
Cite this Entry
“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wire. Accessed 29 Jun. 2026.
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