wirework

American  

[wahyuhr-wurk] / ˈwaɪərˌwɜrk /

noun

1. fabrics or articles made of wire.

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wirework British  

/ ˈwaɪəˌwɜːk /

noun

1. functional or decorative work made of wire

2. objects made of wire, esp netting

3. a special effects technique in film or theatre in which actors are suspended from moving wires so that they appear to fly

   the spectacular wirework of Chinese cinema

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Etymology

Origin of wirework

First recorded in 1580–90; wire + work

Example Sentences

Because the show involves wirework and understage lifts, it was easier to construct a custom space than it would have been to use an existing West End theater.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 10, 2025

I did a lot of wirework and fight sequences.

From The Guardian • Feb. 4, 2019

We'd start the sequence with the wirework and go straight into a whole fight, which makes it more challenging; we can't do one move, cut and pick up again.

From The Guardian • May 11, 2013

Choreographed by the film martial-arts veteran Sammo Hung, the fights are spectacularly designed and performed, relying more on muscle and skill than wirework.

From New York Times • Jan. 27, 2011

The little Duchess is a wild bird caged in the strangely twisted wirework of artificial modes and forms.

From Robert Browning by Dowden, Edward