the wire
noun
US
: a thin piece of string that the winner of a race breaks through at the end of the race
The marathon ended in a sprint to the wire by the two top runners.
—often used figurativelyThe election went/came (right) down to the wire.
Examples of the wire in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Watch a tiny alternating current flow in the wire, proportional to the electrical activity sensed by the conducting contact.
—
Giridhar Kalamangalam, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Sometimes fishing wire is so deeply embedded that the flesh has grown around it, forcing rescuers to reopen wounds to extract the wire.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
To avoid becoming a victim, ask your lender or agent to verify the official details of the wire transfer.
—Nerdwallet, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
She’s also come under fire for releasing a heavily edited photo of herself and her family that was removed from the wire services.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024
In a 286-134 vote that came down to the wire, Democrats rallied to provide the support to overcome a furious swell of opposition by conservative Republicans.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
As the board proxy fight between The Walt Disney Company and Nelson Peltz’s Trian Partners comes down to the wire, Disney and CEO Bob Iger have locked up the support of another high-profile Disney shareholder.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024
But the prospect for speedy Senate action looked shaky, which could drag the legislation past the wire.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
From several feet away, an officer fires the wire, and the subject quickly surrenders without incident.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024
Giridhar Kalamangalam, Discover Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
Sometimes fishing wire is so deeply embedded that the flesh has grown around it, forcing rescuers to reopen wounds to extract the wire.
—Cara Buckley, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
To avoid becoming a victim, ask your lender or agent to verify the official details of the wire transfer.
—Nerdwallet, Orange County Register, 25 Feb. 2024
She’s also come under fire for releasing a heavily edited photo of herself and her family that was removed from the wire services.
—Elise Taylor, Vogue, 14 Mar. 2024
In a 286-134 vote that came down to the wire, Democrats rallied to provide the support to overcome a furious swell of opposition by conservative Republicans.
—Catie Edmondson, New York Times, 22 Mar. 2024
As the board proxy fight between The Walt Disney Company and Nelson Peltz’s Trian Partners comes down to the wire, Disney and CEO Bob Iger have locked up the support of another high-profile Disney shareholder.
—Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 21 Mar. 2024
But the prospect for speedy Senate action looked shaky, which could drag the legislation past the wire.
—Jacob Bogage, Washington Post, 20 Mar. 2024
From several feet away, an officer fires the wire, and the subject quickly surrenders without incident.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 12 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the wire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the wire
Cite this Entry
“The wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20wire. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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