- [uncountable, countable]
metal in the form of thin thread; a piece of this 金属丝；金属线；一段金属丝（或线） a coil of copper wire 一卷铜丝 wire mesh 金属丝网 A high wire fence encircles the complex. 一个高高的铁丝网围绕着这个建筑群。 a wire basket 金属丝编织篮 The box was fastened with a rusty wire. 那个箱子是用生锈的铁丝捆紧的。
Extra ExamplesCool the cakes on a wire rack. 把蛋糕放在金属架上晾凉。 Surely the wires shouldn't show like that? 电线绝对不该这样走吗？ The wire was stretched between two poles. 金属丝绷在两根杆子之间。 wire coat hangers 金属衣架
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- taut
- loose
- fine
- …
- length
- piece
- strand
- …
- cut
- bend
- twist
- …
- mesh
- netting
- basket
- …
- behind a/the wire
- under a/the wire
- [countable, uncountable]
a piece of wire that is used to carry an electric current or signal 电线；导线 
electrical wires 电线 a spider's web of unsightly overhead wires 难看的架空电线组成的蜘蛛网 The telephone wires had been cut. 电话线被割断了。
Extra ExamplesTopics Engineeringb2Don't place carpets over electrical wires. 别把地毯铺在电线上面。 Don't touch that wire. It's live. 别碰那根电线，它通着电呢。 He disconnected the wire from the clock. 他把时钟的电源线断开了。 The electrician ran a wire from the kitchen to the bedroom. 电工从厨房拉了一根电线到卧室。 The wire was attached to a pin in the plug. 电线连在插头的一个插脚上。 Watch out for bare wires. 当心那些裸露的电线。 overhead electricity wires 高架电线 the flow of electrical current down a wire 顺着电线的电流 I found myself tripping over a tangle of wires and cables. 我被一团电线和电缆绊了一下。 There were wires trailing everywhere. 电线拉得到处都是。 Where does this wire go? 这条电线通到哪儿？
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- electric
- electrical
- electricity
- …
- attach
- connect
- disconnect
- …
- go
- lead
- run
- …
- along a/the wire
- down a/the wire
- a tangle of wires
an electronic listening device that can be hidden on a person 金属丝编制的栅栏；铁丝网 an undercover police informer who was wearing a wire 戴着窃听器的秘密警察线人
- the wire[singular]
a wire fence 金属丝编制的栅栏；铁丝网 Extra ExamplesBehind the wire, the prisoners were exercising. 铁丝网内，囚犯们正在操练。 They cut the perimeter wire and escaped. 他们剪断了环绕四周的铁丝网逃跑了。
- [countable] (informal, especially North American English)
a telegram (= a message sent by telegraph and then printed and given to somebody) 给（某人）打电报 see also wiry
Word OriginOld English wīr; of Germanic origin, probably from the base of Latin viere ‘plait, weave’.
Idioms
get your wires crossed
- (informal)
to become confused about what somebody has said to you so that you think they meant something else 误会（别人的意思） We seem to have got our wires crossed. I thought you were coming on Tuesday. 我们似乎搞错了。我以为你星期二会来。
go, come, etc. (right) down to the wire
- (informal)
if you say that a situation goes down to the wire, you mean that the result will not be decided or known until the very end 直到最后才见分晓
a live wire
a person who is lively and full of energy 活跃而精力充沛的人；生龙活虎的人
pull wires (North American English)
(also pull strings (for somebody) British and North American English)
- (informal)
to use your influence in order to get an advantage for somebody 凭影响（为某人）谋利益；（为某人）活动，走后门
under the wire
- (informal, especially North American English)
at the last possible opportunity; just in time 在最后期限前；勉强赶得及 The files arrived just under the wire and we made the deadline. 文件很快就到了，我们赶上了最后期限。 We got in under the wire. 我们赶在开始前入场。