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
Journalism was saved by the wire by approximately one or perhaps two strides, given the impressive speed at which Baeza was gaining on him, with Baeza finishing in show by a nose.
—
Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
When her microphone came untethered from her outfit, a stagehand rushed on stage but Charli waved him off, continuing with the wire wrapped around her.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025
The film’s $200 million production cost accounts for the start and stop and restart of production during the 2023 strikes; the SAG-AFTRA strike truly pushed the pic’s delivery down to the wire for late July.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2025
The actual capture versus death and whatnot, that was a decision that went down to the wire.
—Lauren Coates, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Guy Martin, Forbes.com, 4 May 2025
When her microphone came untethered from her outfit, a stagehand rushed on stage but Charli waved him off, continuing with the wire wrapped around her.
—Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 29 Apr. 2025
The film’s $200 million production cost accounts for the start and stop and restart of production during the 2023 strikes; the SAG-AFTRA strike truly pushed the pic’s delivery down to the wire for late July.
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 28 Apr. 2025
The actual capture versus death and whatnot, that was a decision that went down to the wire.
—Lauren Coates, Variety, 25 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
Cite this Entry
“The wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20wire. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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