wire

WYR/ˈwaɪɚ/UKWY-uh/waɪə(ɹ)/

28 meanings of wire

1
nouncountable or uncountable
A thin strip of metal that carries electricity from place to place.
Like a small road that lets electricity travel from one place to another.
A copper wire runs from the battery to the bulb.
The old wires inside the wall were not safe.
Similarcable, lead, conductor, cord
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2
nouncountable or uncountable
A thin thread or rod of metal, or a cable.
Like a long, thin piece of metal you can bend, almost like a stiff string.
He bent the wire into a small hook.
She tied the package shut with a piece of wire.
Similarcable
3
noununcountable
Metal pulled out into a thin, even thread.
Like pulling soft dough through a small hole until it comes out as a long, thin rope.
Workers pull the heated metal until it becomes thin wire.
This wire is thin enough to bend with your fingers.
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4
verbtransitive
To put in the wires that bring electricity to a building or device.
Like fitting a house with pipes, but for electricity instead of water.
Electricians will wire the new house next week.
They wired the garage so we could use power tools there.
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5
verbtransitive
To send a message or money to someone using a telegraph or similar system.
Like sending a letter, but it arrives almost right away through machines.
Please wire the money to my account today.
She wired her sister some cash for the trip.
Similarsend, transfer, remit, cable, telegraph
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6
nounslangcountable or uncountable
A small hidden microphone someone wears to secretly record what others say.
Like a tiny secret microphone hidden under your clothes.
The informant wore a wire to the meeting.
Police hid a wire under his jacket before the deal.
Similarbug, mic, microphone
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7
nouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
A cable or line that carries telephone or telegraph signals.
Like a road that carries phone calls instead of cars.
The storm brought down the wire and cut off our phones.
Reporters got the news over the wire within minutes.
Similarline, cable
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8
nouncountable or uncountable
A fence made of metal wire, often with sharp points.
Like a wall made of crisscrossed metal strings instead of bricks.
The soldiers crawled under the wire at night.
Cattle pushed against the wire at the edge of the field.
Similarfence, fencing
9
verbfigurativelypassivetransitive
To shape someone's nature or a group's way of acting so it stays that way.
Like setting a clock so it always rings at the same time.
Some people seem wired to worry about everything.
Years of training wire soldiers to stay calm under fire.
Similarprogram, predispose, condition
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10
nouncolloquialcountable or uncountable
The last moment before a deadline, when time is almost up.
Like reaching the finish line of a race just before time runs out.
We finished the project right at the wire.
They paid the bill at the wire, just before midnight.
Similardeadline
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11
nouncountable or uncountable
The line at the end of a race that runners or horses must cross to finish.
Like the white line a runner crosses to win a race.
The two horses reached the wire at almost the same time.
Her horse crossed the wire first to win the race.
Similarfinish
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12
nouncountable or uncountable
A message sent by telegraph, or the telegraph system itself.
Like sending a text message, but using old machines and long wires.
She sent a wire to her family announcing her arrival.
The news reached the village by wire that evening.
Similartelegram, cable
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13
nouncountable or uncountable
One of the thin lines used to move a puppet, or hidden control over a person or group.
Like the strings on a puppet that make it move, but also like secret control over people.
The puppeteer pulled each wire to make the puppet dance.
Some say he pulls the wires behind the mayor's office.
Similarstring
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14
verbtransitive
To hold or tie something in place using wire.
Like tying a package with string, but using metal thread instead.
They wire the corks down so the bottles do not pop open.
He wired the gate shut to keep the dogs in.
Similarfasten, secure, tie, bind, lash
15
verbslangtransitive
To secretly set up hidden equipment that records what people say.
Like hiding a small recorder in a room to listen in secret.
Detectives decided to wire the office before the meeting took place.
Someone wired the hotel room to record the whole conversation.
Similarbug, tap
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16
nouncolloquialcountable or uncountableabbreviationclipping
Short form of wire service. It is the news feed that sends stories to many newspapers at once.
The news came in over the wire just after midnight.
Editors watch the wire all day for breaking stories.
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17
verbtransitive
To put objects onto a wire by threading them along it.
Like threading beads onto a string to make a necklace.
They wire the beads together to make a long chain.
She wired the dried flowers onto a frame for the display.
Similarstring, thread
18
verbslangtransitive
To make someone feel very tense, excited, or full of nervous energy.
Like a battery charged up until it is buzzing with energy.
Too much coffee can wire you for the whole night.
The loud music and bright lights wired the kids before bedtime.
Similarstimulate, excite, agitate, energize
Oppositecalm, relax, soothe
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19
verbtransitive
To connect something into an electrical system using wires.
Like plugging a new lamp into the wires that already run through your home.
An electrician came to wire the new lights into the house.
They wired the alarm into the main power supply.
Similarconnect, link, integrate, hook
Oppositedisconnect
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20
verbtransitive
To connect someone or something deeply into a group so they stay closely involved and well informed.
Like roots growing so deep into the soil that the plant becomes part of the ground.
Years in office helped wire her into every major party network.
The lobbyist had wired himself into the city's planning office.
Similarembed, integrate, plug
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21
verbtransitive
To link something into a system as if by wires, like the way nerves connect in the body.
After the injury, her brain slowly began to wire new cells into its old paths.
Each cell in the eye that senses light is wired into the brain by a nerve.
Similarconnect, link, integrate
22
verbtransitive
To catch an animal using a loop or trap made of wire.
Like setting a loop of string to catch something by the leg.
Poachers still wire rabbits along the forest edge.
He wired a hare near the old fence last night.
Similarsnare, trap
23
nouncountable or uncountable
The thin, stiff shaft of certain feathers found on some birds.
Like a thin stalk that holds up the soft part of a feather.
Each long wire on the bird's tail catches the light.
The male's display feathers end in a fine wire.
24
nouncountable or uncountable
A line of beads strung above a billiards table, used to keep the score.
Like moving beads along a string to count points in a game.
He slid a bead along the wire after sinking the ball.
The players marked each point on the wire above the table.
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25
nounslangcountable or uncountable
A secret signal passed between people who are cheating in a card game.
Like teammates using a secret hand sign so the other side can't tell.
One gambler gave the other a quick wire about the hidden cards.
They used a hidden wire to share what each player held.
Similarsignal, sign, cue
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26
noundialectalScotlandcountable or uncountable
A thin metal rod used for knitting.
Like a long thin stick you use to loop yarn into cloth.
She picked up a wire and started the next row.
He found one lost wire under the couch after knitting.
Similarneedle
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27
verbtransitive
In croquet, to leave a ball blocked by a wicket so the other player cannot hit it.
Like hiding behind a pole so someone cannot tag you in a game.
She managed to wire his ball behind the hoop.
He wired the red ball so it could not be struck cleanly.
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28
nounarchaiccountable or uncountable
A thief who steals from people's pockets, especially from women.
Like a sneaky hand that slips into a bag and takes things.
A clever wire worked the crowded market without being caught.
The old wire could lift a purse in seconds.
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Practice

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Origin

From Old English wīr, meaning a metal thread. It goes back to an ancient root meaning to turn or twist.