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
The First Four games kicked off the tournament on Tuesday night, and fans were treated to an instant classic that came down to the wire.
—
Ryan Morik, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2025
The 6-seed coming to Norman is a red-hot Iowa squad that upset Michigan State and took Ohio State down to the wire in the Big Ten Tournament.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2025
These two programs have split the season series at one game apiece with both matchups coming down to the wire.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Potting material in the lamps did not correctly adhere to the wire terminals in the lamps, potentially causing gaps or cracks where water or conductive fluid could penetrate to the lamp's circuit board − according to the recall report.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for the wire
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Ryan Morik, Fox News, 19 Mar. 2025
The 6-seed coming to Norman is a red-hot Iowa squad that upset Michigan State and took Ohio State down to the wire in the Big Ten Tournament.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 17 Mar. 2025
These two programs have split the season series at one game apiece with both matchups coming down to the wire.
—Mark Davis, Newsweek, 15 Mar. 2025
Potting material in the lamps did not correctly adhere to the wire terminals in the lamps, potentially causing gaps or cracks where water or conductive fluid could penetrate to the lamp's circuit board − according to the recall report.
—James Powel, USA TODAY, 10 Mar. 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 25 Mar. 2025.
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