baling wire

noun

: wire originally designed to bind bales of hay or straw : haywire
… were secured … by baling wire twisted through the padlock hasps.Robert A. Caro
often used figuratively
Injury-riddled Michigan State might be considered a powerhouse, except its team is being held together with chewing gum and baling wire.Lynn Zinse

Examples of baling wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Position each straw bale on its side so the baling wire or cord is facing the side and the cut straw ends are facing up and down. Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025 Right now, the team is being shakily held together with baling wire, adhesive tape and paper clips. Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 22 Apr. 2025 The move bolsters a Dodgers pitching rotation that was held together with baling wire and glue through two rounds of playoffs and the World Series. Dan Freedman, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024 Coach Frank Reich better find some bubble gum and baling wire in the coming weeks if his team is to survive its forbidding early season schedule. Nate Davis, USA TODAY, 12 Aug. 2021 Rod Marinelli, the MacGyver of football coaches, needed only gum and baling wire to fortify the Cowboys’ defensive front. Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 16 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1860, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of baling wire was in 1860

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Baling wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baling%20wire. Accessed 5 Jul. 2026.

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