wire
• noun 1 metal drawn out into a thin flexible thread or rod. 2 a length or quantity of wire used for fencing, to carry an electric current, etc. 3 a concealed electronic listening device. 4 informal a telegram. • verb 1 install electric circuits or wires in. 2 provide, fasten, or reinforce with wire. 3 informal, chiefly N. Amer. send a telegram to. — PHRASES by wire by telegraph. down to the wire informal until the very last minute. — ORIGIN Old English, probably related to Latin viere ‘plait, weave’.
Perform another search of the Compact Oxford English Dictionary
About this dictionary
The Compact Oxford English Dictionary of Current English contains 145,000 words, phrases, and definitions.
Find out more about Oxford's range of English dictionaries
Sign up for the AskOxford Word of the Day
Search the Little Oxford Dictionary of Quotations
Search the Concise Dictionary of First Names
| 
