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
Apparently, that shark bit through the wire leader connecting the top hook to the bottom hook.
—
Donald Millus, Outdoor Life, 3 July 2025
President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill came down to the wire as Senate Republican leaders scrambled to get all GOP members on board before the final vote Tuesday.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 1 July 2025
Confused, Kevin went back to TD first thing the next day and asked the teller to reverse the wire.
—Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025
This can be cleaned with a special wire that is included with the product (as well as the wire loop on the back of the hearing aid brush).
—Christopher Null, Wired News, 22 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Donald Millus, Outdoor Life, 3 July 2025
President Donald Trump's tax cut and spending bill came down to the wire as Senate Republican leaders scrambled to get all GOP members on board before the final vote Tuesday.
—Ivan Pereira, ABC News, 1 July 2025
Confused, Kevin went back to TD first thing the next day and asked the teller to reverse the wire.
—Cezary Podkul, ProPublica, 25 June 2025
This can be cleaned with a special wire that is included with the product (as well as the wire loop on the back of the hearing aid brush).
—Christopher Null, Wired News, 22 June 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 20 Jul. 2025.
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