1
as in pistol
a very energetic person
the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in powerhouse
an ambitious person who eagerly goes after what is desired
that new reporter on the police beat is a real live wire
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Recent Examples of live wire
As the person drove to the site, UI received four phone calls from the city of New Haven Fire Dispatch reporting that a live wire was down, PURA wrote.
—
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026
The new science is causing not just a technological sensation, but also a cultural one, twanging a live wire in the popular mind.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Critics after the screening agreed that when given a character perfectly tailored to his strengths (cocky sincerity, charismatic twerpiness), Timmy is a live wire.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
On the other hand, the Cracker Barrel debacle touched so many live wires of American politics that the story was simply irresistible.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 9 Jan. 2026
The new science is causing not just a technological sensation, but also a cultural one, twanging a live wire in the popular mind.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Nov. 2025
Critics after the screening agreed that when given a character perfectly tailored to his strengths (cocky sincerity, charismatic twerpiness), Timmy is a live wire.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 10 Oct. 2025
On the other hand, the Cracker Barrel debacle touched so many live wires of American politics that the story was simply irresistible.
—Graham Hillard, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for live wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for live wire
Noun
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On March 11, a San Francisco police violence reduction team raided his Albany apartment and found a Glock pistol with a fully automatic sear switch, according to police.—
Nate Gartrell,
Mercury News,
30 Mar. 2026
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Zangara, who had purchased the pistol for $8 at a local pawnshop, mingled among a record crowd of 25,000 people who had come to catch a glimpse of the famed FDR.—
Miami Herald Archives,
Miami Herald,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Besides the powerhouse ingredient, Livaura’s formula contains green tea extract, which protects the skin from free radicals and reduces the appearance of wrinkles.—
Reece Andavolgyi,
InStyle,
4 Apr. 2026
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Senior attackman Max Zicchitella paced things Saturday with a hat trick, as the Longmeadow boys registered an impressive victory by toppling perennial powerhouse Duxbury on the road, 7-5.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Article continues below Some scientists had wondered whether the sun's magnetic dynamo was situated in a narrow near-surface layer, or perhaps extends throughout the entire convective layer.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
26 Mar. 2026
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Gillis was omnipresent at her son’s Detroit events — a small dynamo of a woman who was always around for big moments at his Third Man Records complex and backstage at his shows, going back to his White Stripes days in the ’90s and ’00s.—
Brian McCollum,
Freep.com,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/live%20wire. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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