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

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

Daniels was doing a production of “The Two Gentlemen of Verona,” when veteran stuntman Bob Yerkes taught him to juggle and walk on a high wire.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 29, 2022

His students walk right along with him, on a high wire, the “knife’s edge,” as Volpe likes to say.

From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove