under the wire

under the wire

At the last minute. I submitted my application at 11:59 PM on deadline day—just under the wire!

See also: wire

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

under the wire

Fig. just barely in time or on time. I turned in my report just under the wire. Bill was the last person to get in the door. He got in under the wire.

See also: wire

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

under the wire

Barely, scarcely, just within the limit, as in This book will be finished just under the wire. This term comes from horse racing, where the wire marks the finish line. [First half of 1900s] Also see down to the wire.

See also: wire

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

under the wire

mainly AMERICAN

1. If you do something under the wire, you succeed in doing it at the last possible moment. Work was completed just under the wire. One or two companies got in under the wire and made loans to executives before the U.S. ban came into effect.

2. If a person or animal goes under the wire in a race, they get to the finishing point. Elliott rode the horse hard all the way under the wire. Note: The `wire' here is a an imaginary one which the horses pass under at the end of a race.

See also: wire

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

under the wire

at the last possible opportunity, just before a time limit. North American informal

See also: wire

Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

under the wire

mod. at the very last minute. I got it in just under the wire.

See also: wire

McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

under the wire

1. Sports At the finish line.

2. Informal Just in the nick of time; at the last moment.

See also: wire

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.