expire
Americanverb (used without object)
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to come to an end; terminate, as a contract, guarantee, or offer.
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to emit the last breath; die.
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to breathe out.
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to die out, as a fire.
verb (used with object)
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to breathe out; emit (air) from the lungs.
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Archaic. to give off, emit, or eject.
verb
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(intr) to finish or run out; cease; come to an end
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to breathe out (air); exhale
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(intr) to die
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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expiresimple
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expiressimple
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have expiredperfect
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has expiredperfect
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am expiringprogressive
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are expiringprogressive
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is expiringprogressive
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have been expiringperfect progressive
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has been expiringperfect progressive
Past
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expiredsimple
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had expiredperfect
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was expiringprogressive
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were expiringprogressive
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had been expiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of expire
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ex ( s ) pīrāre to breathe out, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + spīrāre to breathe
Explanation
If something — like milk or a free shipping coupon — expires, it is no longer usable or valid. When you expire, you will be dead. The verb expire comes from the Latin expirare, meaning “breathe out,” and the modern use retains that ancient meaning. The expanded, and more commonly used, meaning of expire is that the breath has — literally or figuratively — departed. When you expire your breath, you breathe out; you exhale. Things with a limited shelf life sometimes offer an expiration date that lets you know when they will expire: yogurt, frozen burritos, and even contracts for temporary employment. But some things expire in their own time: life, love, and car batteries.
Vocabulary lists containing expire
"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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Vocabulary from texts about wild animals
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 1–January 7, 2022
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
If it’s not obligated by the end of September, that money will expire and can no longer be spent.
From Salon • Jun. 23, 2026
Overall, it is understood the players have negotiated a 25% increase on their previous terms that will expire at the end of June.
From BBC • Jun. 23, 2026
Instead, Thursday will effectively be the witching day as options expire one day early.
From Barron's • Jun. 18, 2026
But even more remarkable was the heavy volume in $380 strike calls due to expire on Thursday.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 16, 2026
At a White House meeting two weeks before Stassen’s departure, Strauss had reminded Eisenhower that his term as chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission was to expire on June 30.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
