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
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
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
See All Example Sentences for live wire
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
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
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wire
Noun
-
As officers attempted to de-escalate the situation, Wenger came out the residence, pointed, then allegedly threw, what was later determined to be an airsoft pistol at officers, according to Podgorski.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Smith said the suspect, Shamar Elkins, a former member of the Louisiana Army National Guard, allegedly used an assault-style pistol to kill seven of his children and an eighth child related to him.—
Bill Hutchinson,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Backed by a raucous sellout crowd hungry for Orange County’s first playoff hockey since 2018, the Ducks overcame their season-long defensive shortcomings by outscoring the powerhouse Oilers even after Connor McDavid recorded his first points of the series.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Apr. 2026
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Bailey was a blue-chip recruit at Mater Dei, the Southern California prep powerhouse.—
Jon Wilner,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
His many credits include performances with the New York Philharmonic, pioneering minimalist composer Philip Glass, genre-blurring singer Cecile McLorin Salvant, drum dynamo Tyshawn Sorey and such past and present jazz sax powerhouses as Benny Golson, Jimmy Heath and Branford Marsalis.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
23 Apr. 2026
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Miles projects as a commanding dynamo who will cause havoc with her ability to play at a high tempo in transition, move the ball quickly in the half-court offense and deliver no-look passes from any angle.—
Matthew Coller,
Twin Cities,
12 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wire. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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