wire

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

wire, n. [OE. wir, AS. wir; akin to Icel. vīrr, Dan. vire, LG. wir, wire; cf. OHG. wiara fine gold; perhaps akin to E. withy.

•  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.  [1913 Webster]

  " 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."  [1913 Webster]
•  A telegraph wire or cable; hence, an electric telegraph; as, to send a message by wire.  [1913 Webster]
•  The system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show;  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
•  One who picks women's pockets.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
•  A knitting needle.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
•  A wire stretching across over a race track at the judges' stand, to mark the line at which the races end.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

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 Wire 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 (Zoöl.), 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. -- down to the wire, up to the last moment, as in a race or competition; as, the two front runners were neck-and-neck down to the wire. From wire{6}. -- under the wire, just in time; shortly before the deadline; as, to file an application just under the wire.

wire, v. t. 

•  To bind with wire; to attach with wires; to apply wire to; as, to wire corks in bottling liquors.  [1913 Webster]
•  To put upon a wire; as, to wire beads.  [1913 Webster]
•  To snare by means of a wire or wires.  [1913 Webster]
•  To send (a message) by telegraph.  [1913 Webster]
•  To place (a ball) so that the wire of a wicket prevents a successful shot.  [Webster 1913 Suppl.]
•  to equip with a system of wiring, especially for supply of electrical power or communication; as, to wire an office for networking the computers; to wire a building with 220-Volt current.  [PJC]
•  to equip with an electronic system for eavesdropping; to bug; as, to wire the office of a mob boss; to wire an informant so as to record his conversations.  [PJC]

wire, v. i. 

•  To pass like a wire; to flow in a wirelike form, or in a tenuous stream.  P. Fletcher.  [1913 Webster]
•  To send a telegraphic message.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

wire, 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.

Idiom

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.

Derivative

wirer n.

Etymology

OE wir

THESAURUS

wire

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

ROGET THESAURUS

wire

Connection

N connection, vinculum, link, connective, connection, junction, bond of union, copula, hyphen, intermedium, bracket, bridge, stepping-stone, isthmus, bond, tendon, tendril, fiber, cord, cordage, riband, ribbon, rope, guy, cable, line, halser, hawser, painter, moorings, wire, chain, string, fastener, fastening, tie, ligament, ligature, strap, tackle, rigging, standing rigging, running rigging, traces, harness, yoke, band ribband, bandage, brace, roller, fillet, inkle, with, withe, withy, thong, braid, girder, tiebeam, girth, girdle, cestus, garter, halter, noose, lasso, surcingle, knot, running knot, cabestro, cinch, lariat, legadero, oxreim, suspenders, pin, corking pin, nail, brad, tack, skewer, staple, corrugated fastener, clamp, U-clamp, C-clamp, cramp, cramp iron, ratchet, detent, larigo, pawl, terret, treenail, screw, button, buckle, clasp, hasp, hinge, hank, catch, latch, bolt, latchet, tag, tooth, hook, hook and eye, lock, holdfast, padlock, rivet, anchor, grappling iron, trennel, stake, post, cement, glue, gum, paste, size, wafer, solder, lute, putty, birdlime, mortar, stucco, plaster, grout, viscum, shackle, rein, prop.

Filament

N filament, line, fiber, fibril, funicle, vein, hair, capillament, cilium, cilia, pilus, pili, tendril, gossamer, hair stroke, veinlet, venula, venule, wire, string, thread, packthread, cotton, sewing silk, twine, twist, whipcord, tape, ribbon, cord, rope, yarn, hemp, oakum, jute, strip, shred, slip, spill, list, band, fillet, fascia, ribbon, riband, roll, lath, splinter, shiver, shaving, beard, ramification, strand, filamentous, filamentiferous, filaceous, filiform, fibrous, fibrillous, thread-like, wiry, stringy, ropy, capillary, capilliform, funicular, wire-drawn, anguilliform, flagelliform, hairy, taeniate, taeniform, taenioid, venose, venous.

Information

VB tell, inform, inform of, acquaint, acquaint with, impart, impart to, make acquaintance with, apprise, advise, enlighten, awaken, transmit, let fall, mention, express, intimate, represent, communicate, make known, publish, notify, signify, specify, convey the knowledge of, let one know, have one to know, give one to understand, give notice, set before, lay before, put before, point out, put into one's head, put one in possession of, instruct, direct the attention to, announce, annunciate, report, report progress, bringword, send word, leave word, write word, telegraph, telephone, wire, retail, render an account, give an account, state, let slip, blurt out, spill the beans, unburden oneself of, let off one's chest, disclose, show cause, explain, hint, given an inkling of, give a hint, drop a hint, throw out a hint, insinuate, allude to, make allusion to, glance at, tip the wink, suggest, prompt, give the cue, breathe, whisper, whisper in the ear, give a bit of one's mind, tell one plainly, tell once for all, speak volumes, undeceive, unbeguile, set right, correct, open the eyes of, disabuse, disillusion one of, be informed of, know, learn, get scent of, get wind of, gather from, awaken to, open one's eyes to, become alive, become awake to, hear, overhear, understand, come to one's ears, come to one's knowledge, reach one's ears.

News

N news, information, piece of news, budget of news, budget of information, intelligence, tidings, word, advice, aviso, message, dispatch, despatch, telegram, cable, marconigram, wire, communication, errand, embassy, report, rumor, hearsay, on dit, flying rumor, news stirring, cry, buzz, bruit, fame, talk, oui dire, scandal, eavesdropping, town tattle, table talk, tittle tattle, canard, topic of the day, idea afloat, bulletin, fresh news, stirring news, glad tidings, flash, news just in, on-the-spot coverage, live coverage, old story, old news, stale news, stale story, chestnut, narrator, newsmonger, scandalmonger, talebearer, telltale, gossip, tattler, journalism, media, news media, the press, the information industry, newspaper, magazine, tract, journal, gazette, publication, radio, television, ticker (electronic information transmission), United Press International, UPI, Associated Press, AP, The Dow Jones News Service, DJ, The New York Times News Service, NYT, Reuters, TASS, The Nikkei, newscaster, newsman, newswoman, reporter, journalist, correspondent, foreign correspondent, special correspondent, war correspondent, news team, news department, anchorman, anchorwoman, sportscaster, weatherman, press secretary, public relations department, public relations man, many-tongued, rumored, publicly rumored, currently rumored, currently reported, rife, current, floating, afloat, going about, in circulation, in every one's mouth, all over the town, in progress, live, on the spot, in person, as the story goes, as the story runs, as they say, it is said, by telegraph, by wireless, airy tongues that syllable men's names, what's up?, what's the latest?, what's new?, what's the latest poop?.

For further exploring for "wire" in Webster Dictionary Online