Skip to main content
to wire

to wire

92 7.8
To send a short message by telegram or cable
  • verb
  • /waɪər/
  • Archaic
: telegrafear
  • Can you wire me the sixty-seven hundred dollars and I'll pay you back?

Often the way it works is that they're told that they need to wire in additional money to pay a tax before withdrawing their funds.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • I'll wire what we agreed upon.

  • Your payment will be wired soon.

  • There was nothing Father could do but wire us money.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • Lawyers have gone over it and you wire the money and you own it.

  • You want me to get accounting to wire her the cash advance?

  • I can wire you money every month for Lena, for you, for your children.

  • Listen, I need you to wire me $500 to the western union office in amarillo, Texas right away.

  • My recommendation is you ask the airline to wire the money, notify me when the transfer's been made.

  • I'm gonna wire Denise 10,000 dollars.

  • Please wire the payment for the order by the end of the day.

Synonyms

to relay
vsto wire
93 3.5

To receive and then pass on a message or signal

is the act of sending originally rather than receiving and forwarding
to message
vsto wire
  • Texting
32 2.3

To send someone a short note by email, text, or chat

is used for sending by telegram or cable rather than modern electronic ways
to send
vsto wire
12 3.2

Show a program to many people on radio or television

is used for point-to-point telegram or cable transmission rather than broadcasting
to telegraph
vsto wire
  • Archaic
6 6.4

To send a message over long wires using electric signals

is a more general or casual term for the same electrical sending
to cable
vsto wire
  • Archaic
4 6.1

To send a message by telegraph to a distant place

is the same action but often refers to undersea long lines
to telegram
vsto wire
  • Archaic
1 5.1

To send a message by telegraph

is the general phrase rather than the specific written transmission term
to teletype
vsto wire
  • Archaic
1 9.5

To send a typed message that is printed far away

focuses on sending via cable or telegram rather than device use

Idioms

down to the wire
  • Informal
21 7.0

Not decided until the very last moment before a deadline

5 5.9

Reach a point where the result is not decided until the last moment

To continue until the last possible moment while the result is not known

At the last moment before time runs out

Compounds

51 3.4

Wire with sharp points used to stop people or animals from crossing

wire service
  • Literature
14 3.9

A company that collects news and sends it to newspapers or TV stations

11 6.1

A low wire that makes a trap, alarm, or camera go off when someone walks into it

9 3.4

A light, flexible wire mesh with small six-sided holes used to make fences for chickens and gardens

9 6.6

A tight rope high above the ground that acrobats walk on

8 2.6

A hand tool with two handles and sharp blades for cutting wire

A thin metal line that carries phone calls

live wire
  • Specialized
6 4.1

A wire that is carrying electric current and is dangerous to touch

piano wire
  • Specialized
4 5.6

A thin strong steel wire used for piano strings and to make springs

live wire
  • Informal
3 4.6

A person who is very lively and full of energy

telegraph wire
  • Archaic
2 4.8

A wire that carries messages or signals over long distances

baling wire
  • Specialized
2 4.5

A strong wire used to tie bales of hay or cotton

wire recorder
  • Archaic
1 9.8

An old machine that saves sound on thin metal wire and plays it back

guy wire
  • Specialized
1 6.3

A strong cable that holds things like a pole or tent by attaching it to the ground

1 4.6

A pad of fine steel fibers used to clean and smooth metal and other hard surfaces

trip wire
  • Jargon
1 8.4

A small military force placed to make other forces respond if it is attacked

A hand tool that removes the covering from electric wires

wire glass
  • Specialized
1 5.2

Glass with wire mesh inside that holds pieces if it breaks

wire cloth
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A woven metal mesh used for filters or screens

word on the wire
  • Informal
1 8.0

News people share that is not official, often as a rumor

wire gage
  • Specialized
1 6.9

A small tool for measuring how thick a wire is

wire gauge
  • Specialized
1 4.3

A tool for measuring the thickness of wire

A small dog with rough, stiff hair

conducting wire
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A thin metal line that carries electricity from one place to another

wire grass
  • Australian
1 8.2

A coarse one-year grass that has long thin flower spikes and often grows as a weed

wire-puller
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A person who secretly controls others to get what they want

cross wire
  • Specialized
1 7.7

Thin crossed lines in devices like a telescope or microscope that help you aim

1 7.2

A hardy North American grass that has stiff stems and pale brown leaves in autumn

wire printer
  • Archaic
1 4.4

A printer that makes letters from dots by striking paper with thin metal wires

A medium-sized hunting dog that points to birds, with rough outer fur and a soft undercoat

Malheur wire lettuce
  • Specialized
9.9

A rare flowering plant from Oregon that looks like mustard and is at risk

5.2

A machine that prints letters and numbers as small dots using thin wires that hit an ink ribbon

wire-guided torpedo
  • Specialized
8.6

An underwater weapon that moves by itself and is steered by a wire from the ship that fired it

A small energetic dog with rough, wiry fur and a bushy face

How Wide

to syndicate
  • Literature
97 6.6
to distribute
170 2.7
to publish
∞ 3.3
to wire
  • Archaic
92 7.8

Surface Forms

wire infinitive
wired past
wired past participle
wiring present participle
wires third person singular

Etymology

Wire (verb) to send a telegram or money comes from sending things along the telegraph 'wire', so to 'wire' someone is to send something quickly over the line.