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Dictionary search results

Showing 1-50 of 96 results

wire British & World English

metal drawn out into the form of a thin flexible thread or rod

fuse wire British & World English

thin wire used in an electric fuse

high wire British & World English

a high tightrope

hot-wire British & World English

start the engine of (a vehicle) by bypassing the ignition system, typically in order to steal it

live wire British & World English

an energetic and unpredictable person

wire-draw British & World English

draw out (metal) into wire by passing it through a series of holes of diminishing diameter in a steel plate

wire rope British & World English

a length of rope made from wires twisted together as strands

wire wool British & World English

another term for steel wool.

barbed wire British & World English

wire with clusters of short, sharp spikes set at short intervals along it, used to make fences or in warfare as an obstruction

piano wire British & World English

strong steel wire used for piano strings

razor wire British & World English

a metal wire or ribbon with sharp edges or studded with small sharp blades, used as a barrier to deter intruders

wire brush British & World English

a brush with tough wire bristles for cleaning hard surfaces

wire cloth British & World English

cloth woven from wire

wire cutter British & World English

a tool for cutting wire

wire fraud British & World English

financial fraud involving the use of telecommunications or information technology

wire gauge British & World English

a gauge for measuring the diameter of wire

wire gauze British & World English

a stiff gauze woven from wire

wire grass British & World English

a grass with tough wiry stems

wire-guided British & World English

(of a missile) directed by means of electrical signals transmitted along fine connecting wires which uncoil during the missile’s flight

wire-haired British & World English

(especially of a dog breed) having stiff or wiry hair

wire-walker British & World English

an acrobat who walks along and performs feats on a tightrope

wire wheel British & World English

a wheel on a car, especially a sports car, having narrow metal spokes

chicken wire British & World English

light wire netting with a hexagonal mesh

wire service British & World English

a news agency that supplies syndicated news by wire to newspapers, radio, and television stations

wire stripper British & World English

a tool for removing the insulation from electric wires

fly-by-wire British & World English

a semi-automatic and typically computer-regulated system for controlling the flight of an aircraft or spacecraft

drive-by-wire (also steer-by-wire) British & World English

a semi-automatic and typically computer-regulated system for controlling the engine, handling, suspension, and other functions of a motor vehicle

under the wire in wire British & World English

at the last possible opportunity; just in time

down to the wire in wire British & World English

used to denote a situation whose outcome is not decided until the very last minute

rewire British & World English

provide (an appliance, building, or vehicle) with new electric wiring

tripwire British & World English

a wire stretched close to the ground, working a trap, explosion, or alarm when disturbed and serving to detect or prevent people or animals entering an area

the wire in wire British & World English

a wire stretched across and above the start and finish of a racecourse

wire-drawing in wire-draw British & World English

draw out (metal) into wire by passing it through a series of holes of diminishing diameter in a steel plate

wireline British & World English

a telegraph or telephone wire

wireman British & World English

an installer or repairer of electric wiring

zip wire in zip line (also zip wire) British & World English

a cable or rope stretched between two points of different heights, down which a person slides for amusement by means of a suspended harness, pulley or handle

wire-brush in wire brush British & World English

clean (something) with a wire brush

wireframe British & World English

a skeletal three-dimensional model in which only lines and vertices are represented

jumper wire in jumper2 British & World English

a short wire used to shorten an electric circuit or close it temporarily

wiretapping British & World English

the practice of connecting a listening device to a telephone line to monitor conversations secretly

steer-by-wire in drive-by-wire (also steer-by-wire) British & World English

a semi-automatic and typically computer-regulated system for controlling the engine, handling, suspension, and other functions of a motor vehicle