down to the wire adjective 1adverb 1forms 2 adjective1 •At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.He was almost done with the paper, but tomorrow's due date meant it would be down to the wire. adverb1 •At the very end of a process or project, especially one with a fast-approaching deadline.He was almost done with the paper, but tomorrow's due date meant it would come down to the wire. formsmore down-to-the-wire · most down-to-the-wire