- [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 丝网 A high wire fence encircles the complex. 高高的铁丝网围住了该建筑群。 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 戴着电线的秘密警察线人
- 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. 我们似乎电线交叉了。我以为你星期二来。
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. 档案刚好送达我们，我们确定了截止日期。 We got in under the wire. 我们赶在开始前入场。