How do you say “Down to the wire” in French?
The closest natural French equivalent is jusqu’au dernier moment, which literally means “until the last moment”. English speakers use down to the wire to mean continuing until the final moment before a result or deadline. A clear French match for the timing. Mention suspense or a late agreement if that is the important part. Register: neutral. Usage frequency: common.
Closest natural French
jusqu’au dernier moment
/ʒysko dɛʁnje mɔmɑ̃/
- Literal meaning
- “until the last moment”
- Register
- neutral
- How often it's used
- common
- Equivalence
Near-exact equivalent
92 out of 100
What a native French speaker would actually say
“Le résultat est resté incertain jusqu’au dernier moment” keeps the close-finish meaning. Without that detail, the phrase simply tells you when something ended.
For a close sporting contest, “le suspense a duré jusqu’au bout” is also useful. That stresses the audience’s uncertainty.
How close is the meaning?
- Meaning4 out of 5
- Tone4 out of 5
- Context5 out of 5
- Literal similarity1 out of 5
These ratings are editorial approximations, not measurements.
In context
English
The vote went down to the wire; the result stayed uncertain until the end.
French
Le résultat du vote est resté incertain jusqu'au dernier moment.
English
The negotiations went down to the wire before we finally agreed on a price.
French
Les négociations ont duré jusqu'au dernier moment avant que nous nous mettions enfin d'accord sur un prix.
Related expressions
Last updated 2026-11-04