word on the wire
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Meaning · English
Rumor or unconfirmed information
Literally: news or information transmitted through a telegraph wire
Where it’s used:
Used
Widespread English
Examples
There's word on the wire that the company is going bankrupt
AI-drafted example auto-approved by rule (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)
Sources & notes
Listed in Wiktionary’s “English idioms” category (retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review. Definition drafted by AI (@cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast) and auto-approved by rule on 2026-07-31; pending editor spot-check.
Common questions
What does “word on the wire” mean?
Rumor or unconfirmed information Literally: news or information transmitted through a telegraph wire
Is “word on the wire” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.