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 presidential election is coming down to the wire with polls showing a historically close race.
—
Niall Stanage, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
All five of our games have been close, come down to the wire.
—Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 1 Nov. 2024
In the latest poll results, a poll of 300 likely voters in two bellwether counties was down to the wire.
—Emma Marsden, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
With just a handful of days until the general election on Nov. 5, the presidential race is coming down to the wire.
—Sarah Gleason, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the wire 
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of
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Niall Stanage, The Hill, 2 Nov. 2024
All five of our games have been close, come down to the wire.
—Janis Carr, Orange County Register, 1 Nov. 2024
In the latest poll results, a poll of 300 likely voters in two bellwether counties was down to the wire.
—Emma Marsden, Newsweek, 1 Nov. 2024
With just a handful of days until the general election on Nov. 5, the presidential race is coming down to the wire.
—Sarah Gleason, USA TODAY, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for the wire
Dictionary Entries Near the wire
Cite this Entry
“The wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20wire. Accessed 14 Nov. 2024.
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