Adjacent Words

Wire definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

WIRE, n. A thread of metal; any metallic substance drawn to an even thread.
WIRE, v.t. To bind with wire; to apply wire to, as in bottling liquors.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: ligament made of metal and used to fasten things or make cages or fences etc
2: a metal conductor that carries electricity over a distance [syn: wire, conducting wire]
3: the finishing line on a racetrack
4: a message transmitted by telegraph [syn: telegram, wire] v
1: provide with electrical circuits; "wire the addition to the house"
2: send cables, wires, or telegrams [syn: cable, telegraph, wire]
3: fasten with wire; "The columns were wired to the beams for support" [ant: unwire]
4: string on a wire; "wire beads"
5: equip for use with electricity; "electrify an appliance" [syn: electrify, wire]

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English w?r; akin to Old High German wiara fine gold work, Latin vi?re to plait, and probably to Greek iris rainbow Date: before 12th century 1. a. metal in the form of a usually very flexible thread or slender rod b. a thread or rod of such material 2. a. wirework b. the meshwork of parallel or woven wire on which the wet web of paper forms 3. something (as a thin plant stem) that is wirelike 4. plural a. a system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show b. hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization 5. a. a line of wire for conducting electric current — compare cord 3b b. a telephone or telegraph wire or system; especially wire service c. telegram, cablegram 6. fencing or a fence of usually barbed wire 7. a. the finish line of a race b. the final decisive moment (as of a contest) <the negotiations came down to the wire> 8. wirehair • wirelike adjective II. verb (wired; wiring) Date: 15th century transitive verb 1. to provide with wire ; use wire on for a specific purpose 2. to send or send word to by telegraph 3. to connect by or as if by a wire 4. to predispose, determine, or establish genetically or innately <controversy over the extent to which human violence is wired biologically> intransitive verb to send a telegraphic message • wirer noun

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. & v. --n. 1 a metal drawn out into the form of a thread or thin flexible rod. b a piece of this. c (attrib.) made of wire. 2 a length or quantity of wire used for fencing or to carry an electric current etc. 3 esp. US colloq. a telegram or cablegram. --v.tr. 1 provide, fasten, strengthen, etc., with wire. 2 (often foll. by up) Electr. install electrical circuits in (a building, piece of equipment, etc.). 3 esp. US colloq. telegraph (wired me that they were coming). 4 snare (an animal etc.) with wire. 5 (usu. in passive) Croquet obstruct (a ball, shot, or player) by a hoop. Phrases and idioms: by wire by telegraph. get one's wires crossed become confused and misunderstood. wire brush 1 a brush with tough wire bristles for cleaning hard surfaces, esp. metal. 2 a brush with wire strands brushed against cymbals to produce a soft metallic sound. wire cloth cloth woven from wire. wire-cutter a tool for cutting wire. wire gauge 1 a gauge for measuring the diameter of wire etc. 2 a standard series of sizes in which wire etc. is made. wire gauze a stiff gauze woven from wire. wire grass any of various grasses with tough wiry stems. wire-haired (esp. of a dog) having stiff or wiry hair. wire mattress a mattress supported by wires stretched in a frame. wire netting netting of wire twisted into meshes. wire rope rope made by twisting wires together as strands. wire-tapper a person who indulges in wire-tapping. wire-tapping the practice of tapping (see TAP(1) v. 4) a telephone or telegraph line to eavesdrop. wire-walker an acrobat performing feats on a wire rope. wire wheel a vehicle-wheel with spokes of wire. wire wool a mass of fine wire for cleaning. Derivatives: wirer n. Etymology: OE wir

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wire Wire, n. [OE. wir, AS. wir; akin to Icel. v[=i]rr, Dan. vire, LG. wir, wire; cf. OHG. wiara fine gold; perhaps akin to E. withy. ????.] 1. A thread or slender rod of metal; a metallic substance formed to an even thread by being passed between grooved rollers, or drawn through holes in a plate of steel. Note: Wire is made of any desired form, as round, square, triangular, etc., by giving this shape to the hole in the drawplate, or between the rollers. 2. A telegraph wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph; as, to send a message by wire. [Colloq.] Wire bed, Wire mattress, an elastic bed bottom or mattress made of wires interwoven or looped together in various ways. Wire bridge, a bridge suspended from wires, or cables made of wire. Wire cartridge, a shot cartridge having the shot inclosed in a wire cage. Wire cloth, a coarse cloth made of woven metallic wire, -- used for strainers, and for various other purposes. Wire edge, the thin, wirelike thread of metal sometimes formed on the edge of a tool by the stone in sharpening it. Wire fence, a fence consisting of posts with strained horizontal wires, wire netting, or other wirework, between. Wire gauge or gage. (a) A gauge for measuring the diameter of wire, thickness of sheet metal, etc., often consisting of a metal plate with a series of notches of various widths in its edge. (b) A standard series of sizes arbitrarily indicated, as by numbers, to which the diameter of wire or the thickness of sheet metal in usually made, and which is used in describing the size or thickness. There are many different standards for wire gauges, as in different countries, or for different kinds of metal, the Birmingham wire gauges and the American wire gauge being often used and designated by the abbreviations B. W. G. and A. W. G. respectively. Wire gauze, a texture of finely interwoven wire, resembling gauze. Wire grass (Bot.), either of the two common grasses Eleusine Indica, valuable for hay and pasture, and Poa compressa, or blue grass. See Blue grass. Wire grub (Zo["o]l.), a wireworm. Wire iron, wire rods of iron. Wire lathing, wire cloth or wire netting applied in the place of wooden lathing for holding plastering. Wire mattress. See Wire bed, above. Wire micrometer, a micrometer having spider lines, or fine wires, across the field of the instrument. Wire nail, a nail formed of a piece of wire which is headed and pointed. Wire netting, a texture of woven wire coarser than ordinary wire gauze. Wire rod, a metal rod from which wire is formed by drawing. Wire rope, a rope formed wholly, or in great part, of wires.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wire Wire, v. i. 1. To pass like a wire; to flow in a wirelike form, or in a tenuous stream. [R.] --P. Fletcher. 2. To send a telegraphic message. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wire Wire, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wired; p. pr. & vb. n. Wiring.] 1. To bind with wire; to attach with wires; to apply wire to; as, to wire corks in bottling liquors. 2. To put upon a wire; as, to wire beads. 3. To snare by means of a wire or wires. 4. To send (a message) by telegraph. [Colloq.]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wire Wire, n. 1. Chiefly in pl. The system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show; hence (Chiefly Political Slang), the network of hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization; as, to pull the wires for office. 2. One who picks women's pockets. [Thieves' Slang] 3. A knitting needle. [Scot.] 4. A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges' stand, to mark the line at which the races end. [Racing Cant]

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Wire Wire, v. t. (Croquet) To place (a ball) so that the wire of a wicket prevents a successful shot.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(wires, wiring, wired) Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English. 1. A wire is a long thin piece of metal that is used to fasten things or to carry electric current. ...fine copper wire. ...gadgets which detect electrical wires, pipes and timbers in walls. N-VAR 2. A wire is a cable which carries power or signals from one place to another. I ripped out the telephone wire that ran through to his office. ...the voltage of the overhead wires. = cable N-COUNT: usu supp N 3. If you wire something such as a building or piece of equipment, you put wires inside it so that electricity or signals can pass into or through it. ...learning to wire and plumb the house herself... Each of the homes has a security system and is wired for cable television. ...a badly wired appliance. VERB: V n, be V-ed for n, V-ed • Wire up means the same as wire. He was helping wire up the Channel Tunnel last season... Wire the thermometers up to trigger off an alarm bell if the temperature drops... PHRASAL VERB: V P n (not pron), V n P 4. A wire is the same as a telegram. (mainly AM) N-COUNT 5. If you wire an amount of money to a person or place, you tell a bank to send it to the person or place using a telegram message. (mainly AM) I'm wiring you some money... They arranged to wire the money from the United States... VERB: V n n, V n prep 6. If something goes to the wire, it continues until the last possible moment. (mainly JOURNALISM) Negotiators again worked right down to the wire to reach an agreement. PHRASE 7. see also barbed wire, high wire, hot-wire, live wire

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Metallic thread. II. v. a. 1. Put upon a wire. 2. Bind with wire. 3. Ensnare by wires. 4. (Recent.) Telegraph, convey by electric telegraph, report by telegram.

Moby Thesaurus

BX cable, Teletype, armored cable, band, bandage, battery cable, bell wire, belt, bend, bind, bind up, brace, braid, brail, bundle, cable, cablegram, cannon, chain, cinch, coaxial cable, cord, cutpurse, day letter, dip, diver, do up, electric cable, electric cord, fast telegram, flash, gird, girdle, girt, girth, highline, hookup wire, lace, lash, lead, leash, ligament, ligation, ligature, line, night letter, power line, radio, radiogram, rope, send a wire, sign off, sign on, splice, spun yarn, strap, string, swaddle, swathe, telegram, telegraph, telegraph line, telephone line, telex, tendon, thong, three-wire cable, tie, tie up, transmission line, triaxial cable, truss, twine, twist, underground cable, wire line, wrap, wrap up, yarn