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wire

 [wahyuhr]   Origin

wire

   [wahyuhr] noun, adjective, verb, wired, wir·ing.
noun
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.
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6.
a long wire or cable used in cable, telegraph, or telephone systems.
7.
Nautical. a wire rope.
8.
Informal.
a.
a telegram.
b.
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. Compare stall2 (def. 5).
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.
COLLAPSE
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adjective
17.
made of wire; consisting of or constructed with wires.
18.
resembling wire; wirelike.

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Wire is one of our favorite verbs.
So is fletcherise. Does it mean:
to swindle, cheat, hoodwink, or hoax.
to chew (food) slowly and thoroughly.
LEARN MORE FUN, UNUSUAL VERBS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
verb (used with object)
19.
to furnish with wires.
20.
to install an electric system of wiring in, as for lighting.
21.
to fasten or bind with wire: He wired the halves together.
22.
to put on a wire, as beads.
23.
to send by telegraph, as a message: Please wire the money at once.
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24.
to send a telegraphic message to: She wired him to come at once.
25.
to snare by means of a wire.
26.
to equip with a hidden electronic device, as an eavesdropping device or an explosive.
27.
to connect (a receiver, area, or building) to a television cable and other equipment so that cable television programs may be received.
28.
Informal. to be closely connected or involved with: a law firm wired into political circles.
29.
Informal. to prepare, equip, fix, or arrange to suit needs or goals: The sales force was wired for an all-out effort.
30.
Croquet. to block (a ball) by placing it behind the wire of an arch.
COLLAPSE
verb (used without object)
31.
to send a telegraphic message; telegraph: Don't write; wire.
Idioms
32.
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.
33.
pull wires, Informal. to use one's position or influence to obtain a desired result: to pull wires to get someone a job.
34.
under the wire, just within the limit or deadline; scarcely; barely: to get an application in under the wire.
Origin:
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

Related forms
wir·a·ble, adjective
wire·like, adjective
de·wire, verb (used with object), -wired, -wir·ing.
mis·wire, verb, -wired, -wir·ing.
pre·wire, verb (used with object), -wired, -wir·ing.
EXPAND
un·wir·a·ble, adjective
COLLAPSE

Can be confused: why're, wire.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To wire
Collins
World English Dictionary
wire (waɪə)
 
—n
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
 a.  telegram an informal name for telegraph
 b.  the wire an informal name for telephone
8.  a metallic string on a guitar, piano, etc
9.  chiefly (US), (Canadian) 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 to the wire, down to the wire right up to the last moment
14.  informal chiefly (US), (Canadian) get in under the wire to accomplish something with little time to spare
15.  informal get one's wires crossed to misunderstand
16.  chiefly (US), (Canadian) pull wires to exert influence behind the scenes, esp through personal connections; pull strings
17.  take it to the wire to compete to the bitter end to win a competition or title
 
—vb
18.  (also intr) to send a telegram to (a person or place)
19.  to send (news, a message, etc) by telegraph
20.  to equip (an electrical system, circuit, or component) with wires
21.  to fasten or furnish with wire
22.  (often foll by up) to provide (an area) with fibre optic cabling to receive cable television
23.  to string (beads, etc) on wire
24.  croquet to leave (a player's ball) so that a hoop or peg lies between it and the other balls
25.  to snare with wire
26.  informal wire in to set about (something, esp food) with enthusiasm
 
[Old English wīr; related to Old High German wiara, Old Norse vīra, Latin viriae bracelet]
 
'wirelike
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

wire
O.E. wir "metal drawn out into a thread," from P.Gmc. *wiraz (cf. O.N. viravirka "filigree work," Swed. vira "to twist," O.H.G. wiara "fine gold work"), from PIE *wei- "to turn, twist, plait" (cf. O.Ir. fiar, Welsh gwyr "bent, crooked;" L. viere "to bend, twist," viriæ "bracelets," of Celtic origin).
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The verb meaning "to furnish with wires" is recorded from 1435. Wiretapping is recorded from 1904, from earlier wiretapper (1893). Wiry in the sense of "lean, tough" is first recorded 1808. Wired (adj.) "nervous, jittery" is from 1970s. Wirepuller in the political sense is 1848, Amer.Eng. Wiring "wires collectively," esp. "electrical wirework" is recorded from 1809
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Slang Dictionary

(live) wire definition


  1. n.
    an energetic and vivacious person. : With a wire like Taylor in charge, things will get done, that's for sure.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source

wire definition


  1. n.
    a spy smuggled into a place. : Marlon thought Lefty was a wire.
  2. tv.
    to install electronic eavesdropping equipment. : Somebody wired the mayor's office.

  3. Go to (live) wire. :
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Idioms & Phrases

wire

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

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
Cite This Source
Encyclopedia Britannica
Encyclopedia

wire

thread or slender rod, usually very flexible and circular in cross section, made from various metals and alloys, including iron, steel, brass, bronze, copper, aluminum, zinc, gold, silver, and platinum. The processes used are all fundamentally the same

Learn more about wire with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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