wire
Thin flexible strand of metal
A long, thin piece of metal that bends easily and can carry electricity.
[something] made of wire
- The electrician replaced the old copper wire.
- Barbed wire was stretched across the top of the fence.
- She twisted the ends of the wire together to secure the frame.
- The sculpture was made entirely from thin steel wire.
- The lamp has a long wire.
- I cut the wire with scissors.
- The bird sat on a wire.
- We need more wire for the project.
Send money or info electronically
To send money or information using electronic systems.
to wire [money/information] to [someone/somewhere]
- She wired the payment to his bank account.
- The company wired the funds immediately after signing the contract.
- He wired me the details of the meeting.
- I will wire the money to you.
- They wired the news to us quickly.
- She wired $500 to her family.
Hidden listening device
A small device hidden on a person to secretly record what they say.
to wear a wire
- The undercover agent was wearing a wire during the meeting.
- They planted a wire in the suspect's office.
- He refused to wear a wire against his friend.
- The police gave him a wire to wear.
- She wore a wire to catch the thief.
- He put on a wire before talking to them.
Connect with electrical wiring
To connect something with wires so electricity can flow.
to wire [a building/device] for [purpose]
- They wired the house for internet access.
- The technician wired the alarm system into the main power supply.
- We need to wire the new light fixture.
- The man wired the new lamp.
- He wired the computer to the network.
- They wired the room for sound.
- Base: wire
- Plural: wire, wires
- Base: wire
- 3rd Person Singular: wires
- Present Participle: wiring
- Past: wired
down to the wire
1Until the very last moment
When something continues until the last possible moment before it ends or is decided.
- The game went down to the wire, ending in overtime.
- Negotiations went down to the wire before an agreement was reached.
hard-wired
1Built-in and fixed physically
Something that is built into a system or machine and cannot be changed without changing the hardware.
- The smoke detector is hard-wired into the house's power supply.
- Some behaviors are hard-wired into our brains.
tripwire
1Wire that triggers action when touched
A thin wire that causes something to happen when someone touches or moves it, often used in traps or alarms.
- The soldier spotted a tripwire across the path.
- A tripwire set off the alarm as soon as he entered.
wear a wire
1Secretly record with hidden mic on body
To secretly record what people say by hiding a small microphone on your body.
- The agent agreed to wear a wire to gather evidence.
- He was caught because his friend was wearing a wire.