live wire

noun

: an alert, active, or aggressive person
live-wire adjective

Examples of live wire in a Sentence

She's a real live wire. the babysitter will have her hands full with those two little live wires
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Firefighters gained control of the fire quickly, but when assessing the structure, the firefighter made contact with a live wire and was shocked. Karen Bartunek, The Arizona Republic, 31 Oct. 2024 In addition to electricity outages, downed lines cause wildfires when live wires come in contact with vegetation. Nives Dolsak and Aseem Prakash, Forbes, 20 Oct. 2024 Officials elsewhere warned that the water could contain live wires, sewage, sharp objects and other debris. Stephen Smith, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 He was rushed to a regional burn unit after accidentally touching a live wire while holding a ground wire in his left hand, NYU Langone said. Aliza Chasan, CBS News, 9 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for live wire 

Word History

First Known Use

1881, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of live wire was in 1881

Dictionary Entries Near live wire

Cite this Entry

“Live wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/live%20wire. Accessed 8 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

live wire

noun
: an alert, active, or forceful person
live-wire adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on live wire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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