down to the wire

Idioms  

1. To the last minute; to the very end. For example, We're just about down to the wire with this project. This term comes from horseracing, where it was long the practice to stretch a wire across and above the track at the finish line. It was extended to figurative use about 1900.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

down to the wire

Hefty US tariffs on some Canadian products took effect on Saturday after days of negotiations that went down to the wire failed to produce an agreement.

From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026

Efforts to avoid the tariffs are going down to the wire.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told his supporters the Welsh election was "going down to the wire".

From BBC ● May 6, 2026

Even down to the wire, many people can still quickly gather the needed paperwork, Steber said.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 14, 2026

We went over to my hootch, picked up our gear, and then moved through the night down to the wire.

From "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien