1
: involving great risk
a financial high-wire act
2
: daring
high-wire prose

Examples of high-wire in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, that’s a high-wire game for the Hawks to play; Young leaving for nothing would be a tough outcome. John Hollinger, New York Times, 7 July 2025 This high-wire act would have gone for naught if Routh had not so capably filled the Man of Steel’s costume. Kirk Honeycutt, HollywoodReporter, 7 July 2025 People first noticed the blaze around 2:40 p.m., right after the wild animal acts had wrapped up and just as the Flying Wallendas, the famous high-wire troupe, were about to begin their death-defying performance. Jordan Friedman, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 July 2025 Britt Lower’s high-wire act on Apple TV+’s Severance rewarded close repeat viewing. Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 20 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for high-wire

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of high-wire was in 1956

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Cite this Entry

“High-wire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/high-wire. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

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