live wire
Americannoun
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live wires
plural
noun
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informal an energetic or enterprising person
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a wire carrying an electric current
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of live wire
An Americanism dating back to 1900–05
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"She's unstoppable, like a live wire," said Ice, whose blue eyes -- which gave him his call-sign -- warmed up when he looked at his wife.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
Underneath the quiet sits a live wire: the “Magnificent Seven,” nearly left for dead after a punishing first half of 2026, but quietly coming back to life in the past two weeks.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 19, 2026
I thought I would have become less of a live wire, but that hasn’t happened.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2025
The power to the pylon should have been switched off while the work was carried out because it was impossible to maintain a safe working distance from the live wire, Cardiff Crown Court heard.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2024
The only way the van’s atmosphere could have electrified faster was if I had thrown a live wire into a full bathtub.
From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
