1A thin strand of drawn metal — used for electrical wiring, fastening, fences, jewelry, and many other purposes. From English "wire." In general writing the standard form is ワイヤー (with the long vowel); technical documents, engineering drawings, and JIS-standard specs traditionally drop the long vowel and write ワイヤ. Note that thinner, easily bent metal wire is usually called 針金, and insulated electrical cables are usually 電線 or コード — Japanese tends to use different words for different applications.
彼はペンチで細いワイヤーを曲げて、小さなアクセサリーを作った。
He bent thin wire with pliers and made a small accessory.
ブラジャーのワイヤーが折れて、肌に当たって痛い。
The wire in my bra has snapped and is digging into my skin painfully.
ワイヤーフェンスで畑をぐるりと囲んだ。
We surrounded the field with a wire fence.
歯科矯正のワイヤーを締め直してもらってきた。
I went and had the wires on my braces tightened.
技術仕様書ではワイヤの直径を0.5ミリと指定している。
The technical spec sheet specifies the wire diameter as 0.5 mm.
2Short for ワイヤロープ "wire rope" — a thick cable made by twisting multiple metal strands together, used where high tensile strength is needed: cranes, elevators, suspension bridges, cable cars, climbing rigs, and the wire-rigged action stunts of films ("wire action").
クレーンのワイヤーは定期的に点検しないと、切れたら大事故になる。
Crane wire ropes must be inspected regularly — if one snaps, it can cause a serious accident.
アクション映画では、俳優をワイヤーで吊って空を飛ぶシーンを撮る。
In action films, scenes of actors flying through the air are shot with them suspended on wires.
吊り橋の主塔から伸びる太いワイヤーが橋全体を支えている。
Thick cables stretching from the main pylons hold up the entire suspension bridge.