expire
Americanverb (used without object)
-
expires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
expired,
past participle, past
-
expiring
present participle
-
to come to an end; terminate, as a contract, guarantee, or offer.
-
to emit the last breath; die.
-
to breathe out.
-
to die out, as a fire.
verb (used with object)
-
expires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
expired,
past participle, past
-
expiring
present participle
-
to breathe out; emit (air) from the lungs.
-
Archaic. to give off, emit, or eject.
verb
-
(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
-
are expiringprogressive
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is expiringprogressive
-
have been expiringperfect progressive
-
has been expiringperfect progressive
Past
-
expiredsimple
-
had expiredperfect
-
was expiringprogressive
-
were expiringprogressive
-
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.
See Examples For:
The increase was approved by voters in 2012 and was scheduled to expire in 2031.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
Unlike traditional futures contracts, perpetual futures never expire.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
Micron Technology is likely to increase its stock repurchases starting Dec. 9 after federal Chips Act restrictions on buybacks expire.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2026
Earlier this year, Michael created an app to log his food supplies and when they might expire.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
A keychain with a timer that would go off when your parking meter was about to expire?
From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez
When the current CBA expires on Dec. 1, MLB team owners are expected to impose a lockout, during which teams will be restricted from communicating with players.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
If it expires, the lottery will keep the $40m prize for future games.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
When the contract expires, trades will be settled in cash, so sellers won’t have to deliver any compute capacity to buyers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026
Olsen’s contract with Fox expires after this season as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026
“My contract expires in June,” he announced to all concerned.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
They apparently did not think their case was yet strong enough for a grand jury presentation but recognized that if they did not do something, the 10-year statute of limitations would have expired on Oct.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
She shifted her stance days later, telling ABC7 she would keep him until 2030, after his five-year term had expired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2026
The watchmen have been working under a contract extension after their previous agreement expired in July 2025.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 28, 2026
Elsewhere in the NFC North, Jessie Bates kicked a field goal as time expired to hand the Detroit Lions a 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers.
From BBC ● Oct. 26, 2026
On June 29, 1954, the Atomic Energy Commission voted 4 to 1 to revoke J. Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance, one day before it would have expired anyway.
From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik
The problem with this explanation is that it is doubtful that the government’s information prevented the statute-of-limitations period from expiring.
From Slate ● Nov. 3, 2026
As it came close to expiring, she says an immigration interpreter helped her apply for asylum on the grounds she was facing threats from lenders in Sri Lanka.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
With a pending lockout, expiring player contracts and possible retirements, who knows what the future will hold.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026
More than half of current single-stock options volumes are concentrated in contracts less than two weeks away from expiring, according to John Marshall, a partner at Carrick Lane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026
Chairs lined the walls, divided evenly by magazine tables, and there was the usual rubber tree expiring in the corner.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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