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wirehouse

(North America, finance, obsolete) A brokerage company with a telegraph line, telephone line, or electronic communication network.

ˈwaɪɹˌhaʊsDocumented since 1900s1900sSilenthistoricalCurrent165 viewsLast reviewed Jun 29, 2026+ Add a definition
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2 definitions
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Etymology timeline

Born ~1904 · 1 year of recorded use
1904Born2026: 1 citationToday, 2026

Definitions

US
#1·Apr 27, 2026US

(North America, finance, obsolete) A brokerage company with a telegraph line, telephone line, or electronic communication network.

: Ten years ago, the Wall Street wirehouse brokerage firm seemed unassailable – part of the very firmament underpinning the entire investment industry from coast to coast.
Cluster: anger
Heard in the wild
  • “Wirehouse watch: Citi taps UBS vet to lead retirement division https://www.europesays.com/ch/60447/ UBS is also expanding its Manhattan complex with a trio of defectors from Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo’s…”

    — Bluesky· May 2026
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US
#2·Apr 27, 2026US

(North America, finance) A major brokerage company, generally nationwide, with multiple branches.

Origin: 1904, , from earlier private-wire house (1894). Originally referred to brokerage companies that owned or leased telegraph lines, so that market information could be transmitted more quickly. Later generalized to “major brokerage”. Wirehouses are now defined by that they have a direct access to "Fed-Fund Wires", which is the system in which all banks and only the big brokerage houses can "wire" money directly from one account to another. Smaller brokerage firms do not have their own wire line, but need to send transactions by transmitting them through a bank's wire system. Origin information sourced from Wiktionary contributors (CC BY-SA 4.0).
For parents

Wirehouse means: A major brokerage company, generally nationwide, with multiple branches.. It is finance or tax vocabulary; usage is usually formal or news-related rather than peer slang. There is no real cause for parental concern; it is descriptive vocabulary rather than risky behaviour. If your teen uses it, context will usually make the intent clear. A short, curious question about where they heard it is usually all that is needed to know whether to follow up.

For ESL learners

wirehouse means: A major brokerage company, generally nationwide, with multiple branches.. Register: formal or technical, finance/tax English. Standard in its technical domain but rare in everyday talk; gloss with a plain synonym when writing for a general audience. A common learner mistake is using the word in a register it does not fit, or assuming a single global meaning; native speakers immediately notice when slang appears in formal contexts, so always check the surrounding register before producing it yourself.

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