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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Rather than leave, Waugh reportedly returned to his motel room and retrieved a homemade semi-automatic pistol.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Halim and Aziz, according to prosecutors, had quickly followed suit, shooting Malcolm X with pistols.—
Tracy Grant,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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And those figures are boosted by players who may not hail from power conferences but certainly played for college powerhouses.—
Arnie Stapleton,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Apr. 2026
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Netflix‘s new comedy Big Mistakes, created by the powerhouse duo of Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott, is surely a direct heir to Weeds and one that will probably at least interest viewers who watched Killing It and Deli Boys and Sunny Nights.—
Daniel Fienberg,
HollywoodReporter,
9 Apr. 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 20 Apr. 2026.
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