wire

American  

[wahy^uhr] / waɪər /

noun

• wires
  plural

1. 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.

2. such pieces as a material.

3. 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.

4. a cross wire or a cross hair.

5. a barbed-wire fence.

6. a long wire or cable used in cable, telegraph, or telephone systems.

7. Nautical. a wire rope.

8. Informal.

   1. a telegram.

   2. the telegraphic system.

      to send a message by wire.

9. wires, a system of wires by which puppets are moved.

10. a metallic string of a musical instrument.

11. Underworld Slang. the member of a pickpocket team who picks the victim's pocket.

12. Horse Racing. a wire stretched across and above the track at the finish line, under which the horses pass.

13. Ornithology. one of the extremely long, slender, wirelike filaments or shafts of the plumage of various birds.

14. a metal device for snaring rabbits and other small game.

15. Papermaking. the woven wire mesh over which the wet pulp is spread in a papermaking machine.

16. the wire, the telephone.

    There's someone on the wire for you.

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adjective

1. made of wire; consisting of or constructed with wires.

2. resembling wire; wirelike.

verb (used with object)

• wires,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wired,
  past participle,  past
• wiring
  present participle

1. to furnish with wires.

2. to install an electric system of wiring in, as for lighting.

3. to fasten or bind with wire.

   He wired the halves together.

4. to put on a wire, as beads.

5. to send by telegraph, as a message.

   Please wire the money at once.

6. to send a telegraphic message to.

   She wired him to come at once.

7. to snare by means of a wire.

8. to equip with a hidden electronic device, as an eavesdropping device or an explosive.

9. to connect (a receiver, area, or building) to a television cable and other equipment so that cable television programs may be received.

10. Informal. to be closely connected or involved with.

    a law firm wired into political circles.

11. Informal. to prepare, equip, fix, or arrange to suit needs or goals.

    The sales force was wired for an all-out effort.

12. Croquet. to block (a ball) by placing it behind the wire of an arch.

verb (used without object)

• wires,
  present (3rd person singular)
• wired,
  past participle,  past
• wiring
  present participle

1. to send a telegraphic message; telegraph.

   Don't write; wire.

idioms

1. 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.

2. pull wires, to use one's position or influence to obtain a desired result.

   to pull wires to get someone a job.

3. under the wire, just within the limit or deadline; scarcely; barely.

   to get an application in under the wire.

wire British  

/ waɪə /

noun

1. a slender flexible strand or rod of metal

2. a cable consisting of several metal strands twisted together

3. a flexible metallic conductor, esp one made of copper, usually insulated, and used to carry electric current in a circuit

4. (modifier) of, relating to, or made of wire

   a wire fence

   a wire stripper

5. anything made of wire, such as wire netting, a barbed wire fence, etc

6. a long continuous wire or cable connecting points in a telephone or telegraph system

7. old-fashioned

   1. an informal name for telegram telegraph

   2. an informal name for telephone

8. a metallic string on a guitar, piano, etc

9. horse racing the finishing line on a racecourse

10. a wire-gauze screen upon which pulp is spread to form paper during the manufacturing process

11. anything resembling a wire, such as a hair

12. a snare made of wire for rabbits and similar animals

13. informal right up to the last moment

14. informal to accomplish something with little time to spare

15. informal to misunderstand

16. to exert influence behind the scenes, esp through personal connections; pull strings

17. to compete to the bitter end to win a competition or title

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verb

1. (also intr) to send a telegram to (a person or place)

2. to send (news, a message, etc) by telegraph

3. to equip (an electrical system, circuit, or component) with wires

4. to fasten or furnish with wire

5. (often foll by up) to provide (an area) with fibre optic cabling to receive cable television

6. to string (beads, etc) on wire

7. croquet to leave (a player's ball) so that a hoop or peg lies between it and the other balls

8. to snare with wire

9. informal to set about (something, esp food) with enthusiasm

wire More Idioms  

1. see down to the wire; get one's wires crossed; live wire; pull strings (wires); under the wire.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• miswire
  verb
• dewire
  verb (used with object)
• prewire
  verb (used with object)
• unwirable
  adjective
• wirable
  adjective
• wirelike
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• wires
  plural

Participles

• wiring
  present
• wired
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• wire
  simple
• wires
  simple
• have wired
  perfect
• has wired
  perfect
• am wiring
  progressive
• are wiring
  progressive
• is wiring
  progressive
• have been wiring
  perfect progressive
• has been wiring
  perfect progressive

Past

• wired
  simple
• had wired
  perfect
• was wiring
  progressive
• were wiring
  progressive
• had been wiring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will wire
  simple
• will have wired
  perfect
• will be wiring
  progressive
• will have been wiring
  perfect progressive

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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

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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

See Examples For:

wire wires wired wiring

Makeshift barriers formed from shipping containers and razor wire to block traffic to Peshawar's administrative zone remained in place.

From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026

“Eventually, Mr. Seaver’s residence had a no-trespassing sign in the front yard and barbed wire draped across the handrails leading to the front door,” the filing alleged.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Las Vegas is for real and it has scored at least 26 in every game and took Kansas City to the wire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026

Rush was initially charged with theft of public funds, but has now pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

I wished I could hurry home with it, pail and all, bending a little, the wire handles making ridges in my fingers.

From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff

The solar cells are cut into narrow strips, layered like overlapping shingles, and connected to each other using electrically conductive adhesive, rather than metal wires.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

You don’t have to think about it; your subconscious will reconnect those severed wires immediately.

From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2026

Those channels can also hold extremely thin metal wires used to measure electrical activity in the brain.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026

On a recent Thursday he was inside a black cage stuffed with yellow wires checking a cross-connect cable that links one customer’s operation to another’s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026

She pulled the wires wider and motioned with her head.

From "Hope Springs" by Jaime Berry

Sooner or later, all of his projects circle around to his concern that he’s simply wired to be unpleasant.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026

If asked, I probably would have told you I was feeling a little tired, wired, or off-kilter, so none of those readings were all that revelatory.

From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026

At this age, young adolescents’ brains are being wired to build relationships, so the risks compound.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2026

Imam's explanation centers on the way different brain systems are wired before birth.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 31, 2026

“We could try to get out through the basement, but that may be wired also. Or you could run from here and I could distract anyone who saw us.”

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

As demand for optical and networking components has skyrocketed this year, shares of the companies that produce those components — like lasers, wiring and electronics — have staged major gains.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

At the suggestion of the arborist, we had the tree’s main limbs secured by industrial wiring that prevented them from swinging too wildly.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Meanwhile, up to 20 tonnes is used for the network wiring connecting up those computer servers.

From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026

Together, the findings raise questions about how the physical structure of the brain's wiring helps regulate communication.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

After an interval Roy Baty said, “I’ll finish wiring up the alarm.”

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

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Related Words

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