Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

down to the wire

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.41 in modern English

Syllables: down -to the wire
IPA

23

Scrabble Score

13

Letters

2

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

adj

At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.

adv

At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.

Example Sentences

"He was almost done with the paper, but tomorrow's due date meant it would be down to the wire."
"He was almost done with the paper, but tomorrow's due date meant it would come down to the wire."
"Liverpool created a host of chances and had a Joel Matip goal ruled out for a foul and offside in an incident-packed game that went right down to the wire before Jurgen Klopp's side prevailed."

Etymology

From horse racing: approaching the wire that marks the winning line.

Inflected Forms

down-to-the-wire (alternative)

Synonyms

down to the short strokes last minute

Questions

What does down to the wire mean?: At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.
Where does down to the wire come from?: From horse racing: approaching the wire that marks the winning line.

How to pronounce down to the wire

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