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
Hold the flag at the top and press the wire into the soil without bending it.
—
Nora Doonan, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
That is keeping The Hunting Party on the bubble, with a decision possibly going down to the wire and tied to how NBC’s five drama pilots come in.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
As the college sports industry continues to evolve, DOJ will look for ways to apply already existing criminal statutes, like the wire fraud statute, to areas susceptible to fraudulent or corrupt conduct.
—Robert L. Boone, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2026
And all three came down to the wire.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Nora Doonan, Hartford Courant, 4 Apr. 2026
That is keeping The Hunting Party on the bubble, with a decision possibly going down to the wire and tied to how NBC’s five drama pilots come in.
—Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 3 Apr. 2026
As the college sports industry continues to evolve, DOJ will look for ways to apply already existing criminal statutes, like the wire fraud statute, to areas susceptible to fraudulent or corrupt conduct.
—Robert L. Boone, Sportico.com, 31 Mar. 2026
And all three came down to the wire.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2026
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 6 Apr. 2026.
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