as in narrow
showing little difference in the standing of the competitors
a down-to-the-wire contest for the pennant
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Recent Examples of down-to-the-wire
Teoscar Hernández edges Bobby Witt Jr. in down-to-the-wire final
July 15, 2024
Nationals take Texas Tech catcher to open Day 2 of MLB draft
July 15, 2024
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Barry Svrluga, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
Dallas fought back and forced a hold situation in the 65th minute as both teams prepared for a down-to-the-wire finish.
—Matt Guzman, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2024
Muhl’s appearance was brief in the down-to-the-wire battle, which ended in an 85-83 victory for the Storm.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2024
The last great, down-to-the-wire race for the scoring crown came in 2014-15, when Jamie Benn edged out John Tavares by one point and Sidney Crosby by three.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for down-to-the-wire 
Barry Svrluga, Washington Post, 16 July 2024
Dallas fought back and forced a hold situation in the 65th minute as both teams prepared for a down-to-the-wire finish.
—Matt Guzman, Kansas City Star, 8 July 2024
Muhl’s appearance was brief in the down-to-the-wire battle, which ended in an 85-83 victory for the Storm.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 25 May 2024
The last great, down-to-the-wire race for the scoring crown came in 2014-15, when Jamie Benn edged out John Tavares by one point and Sidney Crosby by three.
—Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024
See all Example Sentences for down-to-the-wire
Recent Examples of Synonyms for down-to-the-wire
Adjective
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In this example, Newcastle circulate the ball back to Fabian Schar and the right centre-back plays a diagonal ball… … to find Hall’s run behind the defence, with Gordon’s narrow position keeping Mazraoui away from his zone.Ahmed Walid, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
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And even when the narrow moon is in the sky, the shower is still well worth watching.Joe Rao, Space.com, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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That same year, billionaire Elon Musk, who's now one of Trump's closest allies, bought Twitter and renamed it X.Jude Joffe-Block, NPR, 30 Dec. 2024
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The closest precedent occurred in 1973, when then-President Richard Nixon ordered flags lowered to honor former President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had died just days after Nixon’s second inauguration.Brandi D. Addison, Austin American-Statesman, 30 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The whole package is great fun, and everything wraps up in a blessedly tight 95 minutes (man, movies are way too long these days).Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 23 Dec. 2024
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Dart has good ball velocity and has shown flashes of throwing into very tight windows.Steve Bradshaw, Forbes, 22 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near down-to-the-wire
Cite this Entry
“Down-to-the-wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/down-to-the-wire. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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