high wire

American  

noun

1. a tightrope stretched very high above the ground.

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high wire British  

noun

1. a tightrope stretched high in the air for balancing acts

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Etymology

Origin of high wire

First recorded in 1880–85

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

high wire

Of course, one problem with walking a high wire is that your opponent can try to knock you off.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2024

A new high wire act is running downtown, where Teatro ZinZanni has settled into its current home at Lotte Hotel’s Sanctuary Ballroom.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 27, 2023

As they say, Blinken is on a high wire right now—and he’s got a lot of balancing to do up there.

From Slate ● Oct. 27, 2023

"He's a conjurer, he's a magician, he's a high wire artist, and he's a communicator extraordinaire. He is, I'll say it again, a radio genius, and he will always be a radio hero."

From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2022

When he was tired, or when he waited at some high wire gate, hoping his father would pass in the line, he would read the big-lettered words first and then practice the small-lettered words.

From "Sounder" by William H. Armstrong