Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

under the wire

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.41 in modern English

Syllables: un-der- the wire
IPA

19

Scrabble Score

12

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

Across the finish line.

prep_phrase

At the last minute; before the deadline; barely on time; nearly late.

Example Sentences

"Lying forward flattened along Sunfish's hard-muscled shoulders, Bud was gaining and gaining—one length, then two lengths as he shot under the wire, slowed and rode back to find a silent crowd watching him."
"Russians had heard rumors, and foreign correspondents had obtained confirmation, that the Dictator will soon drastically tighten up proverbially loose Bolshevik divorce laws. In a panic to get in under the wire, every Moscow mate who has recently thought of divorce was last week jamming the official bureaus."

Synonyms

in the nick of time

Questions

What does under the wire mean?: Across the finish line.

How to pronounce under the wire

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “under the wire”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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