wire service

noun

: a news agency that sends out syndicated news copy to subscribers by wire or by satellite transmission

Examples of wire service in a Sentence

The story was reported by several wire services.
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.
The print pool historically travels everywhere with the president, sending updates to journalists for wire services, newspapers and other publications. — Scott Nover, Washington Post, 5 Oct. 2026 This article was supplemented with information from el Nuevo Herald’s wire services. — Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2026 The outlet no longer uses wire services such as Reuters or The Associated Press. — Jennifer Jacobs, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026 Officials have expressed enough displeasure with certain photos that they’ve been deleted from a wire service. — Robin Givhan, Vanity Fair, 19 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for wire service

Word History

First Known Use

1887, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of wire service was in 1887

Rhymes for wire service

See All Rhymes for wire service

Browse Nearby Words

wire saw
wire service
wire-shafted
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Wire service.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wire%20service. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

wire service

noun
: a news organization that sends out news stories by wire to subscribers (as newspapers)

More from Merriam-Webster on wire service

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wire service

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of inscrutable

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All