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wire

noun · verb

Simple meaning

Any of the system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

wyer

Say the bold part a little louder.

US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈwaɪɚ

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. usually in the plural

    Any of the system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show; hence, the network of hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization; strings.

  2. uncountable

    Metal formed into a thin, even thread, now usually by being drawn through a hole in a steel die.

  3. A piece of such material; a thread or slender rod of metal, a cable.

  4. A metal conductor that carries electricity over a distance

  5. A message transmitted by telegraph

  6. by extension

    An electric telegraph; a telegram.

verb

  1. Equip for use with electricity

  2. To connect, embed, incorporate, or include (something) into (something else) by or as if by wires

  3. To add or connect (something) into a system as if with wires (for example, with nerves).

  4. To add (something) into a system (especially an electrical system) by means of wiring.

  5. To connect, involve or embed (something) deeply or intimately into (something else, such as an organization or political scene), so that it is plugged in (to that thing) ("keeping up with current information about (the thing)") or has insinuated itself into (the thing).

  6. figurativelyusually passive

    To set or predetermine (someone's personality or behaviour, or an organization's culture) in a particular way.

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
A1 · Beginner (estimated)
Frequency
Common
Typical Use
General English

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: Any of the system of wires used to operate the puppets in a puppet show; hence, the network of hidden influences controlling the action of a person or organization; strings.

Used this way, wire is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.

Emotional tone
Neutral
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Not strongly marked
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Matter-of-fact
Usage feel
Neutral and straightforward

Nearby words

  • conducting wire , rarer, so it draws attention

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

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Common Patterns and Combinations

How this word naturally appears with others.

Metal

copper wiresteel wire

Fence

wire fence

Other combinations

wire ropewire servicehot wireplatinum wireiron wire

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • wiredadjectiveInflected form

    Equipped with wire or wires especially for electric or telephone service.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • wirelessnounDerived noun

    Medium for communication.

Compound terms

Established multiword terms.

  • wire grassnounCompound term

    Handsome hardy North American grass with foliage turning pale bronze in autumn.

  • wire-haired fox terriernounCompound term

    A fox terrier with wiry hair.

  • wire-haired pointing griffonnounCompound term

    Breed of medium-sized long-headed dogs with downy undercoat and harsh wiry outer coat.

  • wire-haired terriernounCompound term

    A terrier with wiry hair.

  • wire matrix printernounCompound term

    An impact printer in which each character is represented by a pattern of dots made by wires or styli.

  • wire printernounCompound term

    An impact printer in which each character is represented by a pattern of dots made by wires or styli.

Related words

Connected by subject or meaning, not by word formation.

  • wireless telegraphynounRelated term

    Telegraphy that uses transmission by radio rather than by wire.

  • wireless telephonenounRelated term

    Telephony that uses transmission by radio rather than by wire.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.