wire

1 of 2

noun

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
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
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
wirelike 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 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

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
There was a hooded viewer to look through, and extended on a T-junction about 6 inches away was a stand with wire frames to hold the cards, which were called stereographs. Jeff Suess, The Enquirer, 17 Mar. 2024 On Wednesday, reports that a local office of the Federal Security Service, or FSB, was struck were later deleted from state news wires. Francesca Ebel, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024 Daddy’s wire thin and missing teeth, swaying, and talking in nervous staccatos. Jonah Gercke, SPIN, 15 Mar. 2024 Photo : Stuart Pearce Art On Board The hallway that leads to the owner’s cabin is lined with a mosaic tapestry made from sea glass woven together with wire. Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 15 Mar. 2024 Authorities have barricaded highways leading to New Delhi with cement blocks, metal containers, barbed wire and iron spikes to prevent the farmers from entering the capital. Rishi Lekhi and Ashok Sharma, Quartz, 14 Mar. 2024 What should be a simple 12-story fall backwards with wires turns into an accident, however, and sends the stunt man to the hospital. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 13 Mar. 2024 Let bread cool on baking sheet 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool until ready to serve. Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024 Instead of fuel tanks, fuel pumps, fuel lines, complex engines, exhausts, radiators and lubrication systems with many, many moving parts, electrons flow along wires from a battery to an electric motor that turns the propellors, with a single moving part in the motor. Michael Barnard, Forbes, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
Neurons that fire together wire together, as brain researchers say. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 According to the indictment, Murillo and Hernandez had allegedly wired money to people connected with the drug trafficking ring, and registered vehicles that were used in the operation. Salvador Hernandez, Los Angeles Times, 6 Mar. 2024 The suspect fraudulently wired $70,000 from the victim’s account into an unknown account without the victim’s knowledge. Anne Gelhaus, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024 Graveyards of Wells Three months after the judge ordered that Remnant liquidate, a buyer called Acacia Resources LLC wired $402,000 to the trustee, completing the purchase of Remnant’s assets. Mark Olalde, ProPublica, 22 Feb. 2024 From his base in Miami, a 24-year-old man is accused of stealing the identities of about 50 people and tapping into their bank accounts to wire more than $2 million to himself and others, according to a federal indictment. Jay Weaver, Miami Herald, 22 Feb. 2024 Guide me in embracing my reaction of [describe how you're wired or your typical reaction to stress] without harsh judgment, fostering a healthier, more compassionate approach to self-evaluation and growth. Jodie Cook, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 As for power consumption, Backbone says the One itself demands less power from your iPhone than many wired Lightning earbuds do. Quentyn Kennemer, The Verge, 4 Mar. 2024 Wireless or wired, this phone seriously outperforms the S24 series, with triple the wireless charging speed and almost double the wired charging speed. Anshel Sag, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of wire was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near wire

Cite this Entry

“Wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wire. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wire

1 of 2 noun
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
3
a
: the finish line of a race
b
: the final moment
the game came down to the wire
wirelike 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
: 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

More from Merriam-Webster on wire

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