cross the wires

verb

Of a news story: to break; to be published.

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Meanings

verbcross the wires (third-person singular simple present crosses the wires, present participle crossing the wires, simple past and past participle crossed the wires)

present singular third person crosses the wires · participle present crossing the wires · participle past crossed the wires · past crossed the wires

  1. Of a news story: to break; to be published.

    He called me shortly after the story crossed the wires and cursed at me nonstop for minutes.

    2009, Laurence H. Meyer, A Term at the Fed: An Insider's View, page 16
Cite this entry
APA

cross the wires. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross%20the%20wires

MLA

“cross the wires.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross%20the%20wires. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cross the wires,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cross%20the%20wires.

Source: cross the wires on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.