wire

1 of 2

noun

ˈwī(-ə)r 

often attributive

1

a

: metal in the form of a usually very flexible thread or slender rod

b

: a thread or rod of such material

2

a

: wirework

b

: the meshwork of parallel or woven wire on which the wet web of paper forms

3

: something (such as a thin plant stem) that is wirelike

4

wires plural

a

: a system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show

b

: hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization

5

a

: a line of wire for conducting electric current compare cord sense 3b

b

: a telephone or telegraph wire or system

especially : wire service

c

: telegram, cablegram

6

: fencing or a fence of usually barbed wire

7

a

: the finish line of a race

b

: the final decisive moment (as of a contest)

the negotiations came down to the wire

8

: wirehair

wirelike

ˈwī(-ə)r-ˌlīk 

adjective

wire

2 of 2

verb

wired; wiring

transitive verb

1

: to provide with wire : use wire on for a specific purpose

2

: to send or send word to by telegraph

3

: to connect by or as if by a wire

4

: to predispose, determine, or establish genetically or innately

controversy over the extent to which human violence is wired biologically

intransitive verb

: to send a telegraphic message

wirer

ˈwī(-ə)r-ər 

noun

Phrases

under the wire

1

: at the finish line

2

: at the last moment

wire to wire or from wire to wire

: from start to finish

led the race wire to wire

Synonyms

Noun

• cable
• cord
• lace
• lacing
• line
• rope
• string

Examples of wire in a Sentence

Noun

The flowers were bound together with thin wire.

There was a wire sticking out of the chair.

A telephone wire had fallen on the road during the storm.

A short black wire connects the computer's monitor to its keyboard.

The undercover officer wore a wire to her meeting with the drug dealer.

Verb

The house will be wired next week.

My room is wired for cable.

The microphone is wired to the speaker.

You can wire the generator to a car battery.

Her jaw was wired shut after the accident.

She wired the money home to Canada.

Can you wire me $300?

When you get in to town, wire me.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After trial and error, my colleagues and I found that rats could learn to drive forward by grasping a small wire that acted like a gas pedal. —Kelly Lambert, Discover Magazine, 14 Nov. 2024

The Remove tool has a drop-down menu that identifies wires and cables or people in the image that take attention away from your subject. —PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024

Verb

In tasks that require reasoning or, say, how to electrically wire a house, that dimension may be different. —Stephen Ornes, Quanta Magazine, 8 Nov. 2024

Neuralink wired up its second brain implant patient, Alex, who has been using the chip to play video games and operate CAD software hands-free. —New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English wir, wyre, going back to Old English wīr, going back to Germanic *wīra-, whence Middle Low German wire "flexible metal, filigree," Old Norse vír-, in víravirki "filigree work," and (with presumed lowering of ī to ē² before r) Old High German wiara, wiera "fine gold, ornament of gold filigree," going back to a nominal derivative with a suffix -r- from Indo-European *u̯ei̯H- "plait, wrap," whence Latin vieō, viēre "to plait, weave," Old Church Slavic poviti "to wrap up, bind," Lithuanian výti "to twist," and probably to Sanskrit vyayati "(it) covers, envelops," vīta- "covered, hidden"

Verb

Middle English *wiren (in past participle y-wyred), derivative of wyr, wire wire entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing wire

• baling wire
• barbed wire
• chicken wire
• concertina wire
• down-to-the-wire
• fly-by-wire
• high-wire
• high-wire act
• hot-wire
• live wire
• razor wire
• the wire
• trip wire
• went/came (right) down to the wire
• wire cloth
• wire cutters
• wire fox terrier
• wire fraud
• wire gauge
• wire gauze
• wire grass
• wire netting
• wire-puller
• wire recorder
• wire rope
• wire service
• wire transfer
• wire wool

Kids Definition

wire

1 of 2 noun

ˈwī(ə)r 

1

a

: metal in the form of a usually flexible thread or slender rod

b

: a thread or rod of metal

2

a

: a line of wire for conducting electrical current

b

: a telephone or telegraph wire or system

c

: telegram, cablegram

3

a

: the finish line of a race

b

: the final moment

the game came down to the wire

wirelike

-ˌlīk 

adjective

wire

2 of 2 verb

wired; wiring

1

: to provide or equip with wire or electricity

wire a house

2

: to bind, string, or mount with wire

3

: to send or send word to by telegraph

wire me some money right away

Medical Definition

wire

noun

ˈwī(ə)r 

: metal thread or a rod used in surgery to suture soft tissue or transfix fractured bone and in orthodontic dentistry to position teeth

wire transitive verb

wired; wiring