1
as in pistol
a very energetic person
the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires
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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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Recent Examples of live wire
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
The new science is causing not just a technological sensation, but also a cultural one, twanging a live wire in the popular mind.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Critics after the screening agreed that when given a character perfectly tailored to his strengths (cocky sincerity, charismatic twerpiness), Timmy is a live wire.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026
The new science is causing not just a technological sensation, but also a cultural one, twanging a live wire in the popular mind.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Critics after the screening agreed that when given a character perfectly tailored to his strengths (cocky sincerity, charismatic twerpiness), Timmy is a live wire.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wire
Noun
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Defense lawyers noted Monday, for example, that two 9-mm spent shell casings seen in a photograph under the arm of Moïse’s bullet-riddled body on the floor next to his bed could have been fired from pistols on which the FBI failed to conduct ballistics testing.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
24 Mar. 2026
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In the Charger, an AR-style rifle and a Glock pistol with a switch that turned it into a fully automatic weapon were found.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
23 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Saturn in your companionable 7th house is encouraging Pluto in your playful 5th house, so the energy of these cosmic powerhouses should be a little less hard to handle and a lot more fun!—
Tarot.com,
Hartford Courant,
28 Mar. 2026
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Utah is now five points ahead of Nashville for the first wild-card berth in the Western Conference, which would put them against the Pacific Division in the postseason and away from the Central Division powerhouse trio of Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
28 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Article continues below Some scientists had wondered whether the sun's magnetic dynamo was situated in a narrow near-surface layer, or perhaps extends throughout the entire convective layer.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Gillis was omnipresent at her son’s Detroit events — a small dynamo of a woman who was always around for big moments at his Third Man Records complex and backstage at his shows, going back to his White Stripes days in the ’90s and ’00s.—
Brian McCollum,
Freep.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wire. Accessed 31 Mar. 2026.
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