expire
[ ik-spahyuhr ]
verb (used without object),ex·pired, ex·pir·ing.
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),ex·pired, ex·pir·ing.
to breathe out; emit (air) from the lungs.
Archaic. to give off, emit, or eject.
Origin of expire
11375–1425; 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
British Dictionary definitions for expire
expire
/ (ɪkˈspaɪə) /
verb
(intr) to finish or run out; cease; come to an end
to breathe out (air); exhale
(intr) to die
Origin of expire
1C15: 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
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