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
There’s an understandable thirst for an epic title race and a relegation battle that goes to the wire.
—
Gregg Evans, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Though a judge ordered key officials to restore the wire service’s access to certain White House spaces, the Trump administration has found work-arounds to keep the AP iced out in certain places over its refusal to use the term Gulf of America in its popular stylebook.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
The meet came down to the wire between the Tigers and Gators for the second-place spot after the Sooners finished first with a score of 197.550.
—Henry Chappell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Under a court order from last week to reinstate the AP, Trump 2.0 has decided to toss the wire services out with the bathwater.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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.
Gregg Evans, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Though a judge ordered key officials to restore the wire service’s access to certain White House spaces, the Trump administration has found work-arounds to keep the AP iced out in certain places over its refusal to use the term Gulf of America in its popular stylebook.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 18 Apr. 2025
The meet came down to the wire between the Tigers and Gators for the second-place spot after the Sooners finished first with a score of 197.550.
—Henry Chappell, Kansas City Star, 17 Apr. 2025
Under a court order from last week to reinstate the AP, Trump 2.0 has decided to toss the wire services out with the bathwater.
—Dominic Patten, Deadline, 15 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 30 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share