wire
Americannoun
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wires
plural
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a slender, stringlike piece or filament of relatively rigid or flexible metal, usually circular in section, manufactured in a great variety of diameters and metals depending on its application.
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such pieces as a material.
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a length of such material, consisting either of a single filament or of several filaments woven or twisted together and usually insulated with a dielectric material, used as a conductor of electricity.
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a cross wire or a cross hair.
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a barbed-wire fence.
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a long wire or cable used in cable, telegraph, or telephone systems.
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Nautical. a wire rope.
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Informal.
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a telegram.
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the telegraphic system.
to send a message by wire.
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wires, a system of wires by which puppets are moved.
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a metallic string of a musical instrument.
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Underworld Slang. the member of a pickpocket team who picks the victim's pocket.
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Horse Racing. a wire stretched across and above the track at the finish line, under which the horses pass.
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Ornithology. one of the extremely long, slender, wirelike filaments or shafts of the plumage of various birds.
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a metal device for snaring rabbits and other small game.
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Papermaking. the woven wire mesh over which the wet pulp is spread in a papermaking machine.
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the wire, the telephone.
There's someone on the wire for you.
adjective
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made of wire; consisting of or constructed with wires.
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resembling wire; wirelike.
verb (used with object)
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wires,
present (3rd person singular)
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wired,
past participle, past
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wiring
present participle
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to furnish with wires.
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to install an electric system of wiring in, as for lighting.
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to fasten or bind with wire.
He wired the halves together.
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to put on a wire, as beads.
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to send by telegraph, as a message.
Please wire the money at once.
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to send a telegraphic message to.
She wired him to come at once.
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to snare by means of a wire.
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to equip with a hidden electronic device, as an eavesdropping device or an explosive.
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to connect (a receiver, area, or building) to a television cable and other equipment so that cable television programs may be received.
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Informal. to be closely connected or involved with.
a law firm wired into political circles.
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Informal. to prepare, equip, fix, or arrange to suit needs or goals.
The sales force was wired for an all-out effort.
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Croquet. to block (a ball) by placing it behind the wire of an arch.
verb (used without object)
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wires,
present (3rd person singular)
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wired,
past participle, past
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wiring
present participle
idioms
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down to the wire, to the very last moment or the very end, as in a race or competition.
The candidates campaigned down to the wire.
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pull wires, to use one's position or influence to obtain a desired result.
to pull wires to get someone a job.
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under the wire, just within the limit or deadline; scarcely; barely.
to get an application in under the wire.
noun
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a slender flexible strand or rod of metal
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a cable consisting of several metal strands twisted together
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a flexible metallic conductor, esp one made of copper, usually insulated, and used to carry electric current in a circuit
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(modifier) of, relating to, or made of wire
a wire fence
a wire stripper
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anything made of wire, such as wire netting, a barbed wire fence, etc
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a long continuous wire or cable connecting points in a telephone or telegraph system
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old-fashioned
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a metallic string on a guitar, piano, etc
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horse racing the finishing line on a racecourse
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a wire-gauze screen upon which pulp is spread to form paper during the manufacturing process
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anything resembling a wire, such as a hair
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a snare made of wire for rabbits and similar animals
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informal right up to the last moment
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informal to accomplish something with little time to spare
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informal to misunderstand
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to exert influence behind the scenes, esp through personal connections; pull strings
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to compete to the bitter end to win a competition or title
verb
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(also intr) to send a telegram to (a person or place)
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to send (news, a message, etc) by telegraph
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to equip (an electrical system, circuit, or component) with wires
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to fasten or furnish with wire
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(often foll by up) to provide (an area) with fibre optic cabling to receive cable television
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to string (beads, etc) on wire
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croquet to leave (a player's ball) so that a hoop or peg lies between it and the other balls
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to snare with wire
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informal to set about (something, esp food) with enthusiasm
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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miswireverb
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dewireverb (used with object)
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prewireverb (used with object)
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unwirableadjective
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wirableadjective
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wirelikeadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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wiresimple
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wiressimple
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have wiredperfect
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has wiredperfect
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am wiringprogressive
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are wiringprogressive
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is wiringprogressive
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have been wiringperfect progressive
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has been wiringperfect progressive
Past
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wiredsimple
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had wiredperfect
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was wiringprogressive
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were wiringprogressive
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had been wiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of wire
before 900; Middle English wir ( e ) (noun), Old English wīr; cognate with Low German wīr, Old Norse vīra- wire, Old High German wiara fine goldwork
Explanation
A thin piece of metal that you can bend is a wire. Wire is used for carrying phone signals and electricity, and also to make Slinky toys and abstract sculptures. If you wear braces, you might even have wire in your mouth. Most wire is a tubular strand of metal, like the wire in jewelry or in the fence around your chicken coop. There's also braided wire coated in protective plastic to make cables for connecting electronic equipment or transmitting signals. In the old days, you might've sent a wire, or telegram, to a friend. And if you wear a wire, that's a secret recording device. As a verb, wire originally meant "adorn with gold wire." Today it means "install wires" like when you wire a new house for electricity.
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.
See Examples For:
Because Smith and team trainers were present, the session was listed as a “tryout” on the NFL’s transaction wire.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026
The FBI found that Bayoumi's contacts had helped Hazmi and Mihdhar obtain California driver's licences, apply to flight schools, receive Middle Eastern wire transfers, and even arrange dental treatment.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
In Bidur, scores of anxious relatives peered through the barbed wire separating the football ground from the road, hoping to see the familiar face of a loved one.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
Now I’m down to the wire on either purchasing a replacement or paying capital-gains tax and depreciation recapture.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026
The nerve cell, or neuron, is a living, one-way wire with switches at both ends.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
The new control method takes advantage of nanoscale antenna wires built into the robot.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 18, 2026
“There are PVC pipes, wires and a railway tie underneath the water and occasionally some metal.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
“Seeing that face with all the cables and all the wires and all the things going on, it just kind of encompasses all of it and takes it right back,” he said.
From Slate ● Jul. 19, 2026
A safe cable contains wires that enable communication with the phone’s battery management system, which monitors temperature, tracks voltage and detects short circuits.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
I untangled the wires in my headlamp, put them together so the lamp worked, cut up the sled covering, and made a rough flag.
From "Black Star, Bright Dawn" by Scott O'Dell
The challenge of sighting puffins adds to their allure: Like Maine’s other photogenic wildlife icon, the moose, puffins are genetically wired to stay elusive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
A July trip to Target to get everything on her list — among the items, two packs of wired headphones, Band-Aids, eight folders and four composition notebooks — cost about $230.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
And speaking of back to basics, wired headphones are perhaps as simple as you can get, but again proving popular online.
From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026
During the war, the government handed it to a top-secret military intelligence unit, and engineers wired it with hidden microphones throughout -- even in the garden.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
“I had my jaw wired shut once,” said Jule.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
A single 1-gigawatt AI facility can require tens of thousands of tons of copper for wiring, cooling and power distribution.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 27, 2026
Customers should get their wiring checked by a professional to ensure it is safe before parting with cash, experts say.
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
The internet as we knew it might have been torn down to the studs by Silicon Valley bigwigs looking to sell the wiring for scrap, but the bones are still good.
From Salon ● Aug. 23, 2026
Upcoming evaluations will check the wiring harness connections required to integrate payloads.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
My dad fixed me up with the electrical subcontractor on his construction project, and right away I found myself wiring hotel rooms.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
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.
