expire

[ ik-spahyuhr ]
See synonyms for: expireexpired on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object),ex·pired, ex·pir·ing.
  1. to come to an end; terminate, as a contract, guarantee, or offer.

  2. to emit the last breath; die.

  1. to breathe out.

  2. to die out, as a fire.

verb (used with object),ex·pired, ex·pir·ing.
  1. to breathe out; emit (air) from the lungs.

  2. Archaic. to give off, emit, or eject.

Origin of expire

1
1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin ex(s)pīrāre to breathe out, equivalent to ex-ex-1 + spīrāre to breathe

Other words from expire

  • ex·pir·er, noun
  • ex·pir·ing·ly, adverb
  • non·ex·pir·ing, adjective
  • un·ex·pired, adjective
  • un·ex·pir·ing, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use expire in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for expire

expire

/ (ɪkˈspaɪə) /


verb
  1. (intr) to finish or run out; cease; come to an end

  2. to breathe out (air); exhale

  1. (intr) to die

Origin of expire

1
C15: from Old French expirer, from Latin exspīrāre to breathe out, from spīrāre to breathe

Derived forms of expire

  • expirer, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012