expiration

[ ek-spuh-rey-shuh n ]

/ ˌɛk spəˈreɪ ʃən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR expiration ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a coming to an end; termination; close: the expiration of a contract.

the act of expiring, or breathing out; emission of air from the lungs.

Archaic. death.

Nearby words

experto crede, expiable, expiate, expiation, expiatory, expiration, expiration date, expiratory, expiratory reserve volume, expiratory stridor, expire

Origin of expiration

1375–1425; late Middle English expiracioun < Latin expīrātiōn- (stem of expīrātiō), equivalent to expīrāt(us) (past participle of ex(s)pīrāre to expire) + -iōn- -ion

Related formsnon·ex·pi·ra·tion, nounpre·ex·pi·ra·tion, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for expiration

Such prescriptions have no expiration date, and were swallowed as easily in 1974 as in 1934 or 2014.
Zen, Motorcycles, And The Cult of Tech: How Robert Pirsig’s Classic Anticipated the Future|Nathaniel Rich|August 31, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But with the expiration of the law and the media focus on the House bill, awareness mounted and that uphill fight got easier.
The Deadly Plastic Gun Loophole the House Extension Leaves in Place|Eleanor Clift|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
And thanks for all the music that came with no expiration date.
J.J. Cale, Dead at 74, Was a Songwriter Beyond Compare|Malcolm Jones|July 30, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Kerry himself recently identified an expiration date for the two-state solution within “a year to year-and-a-half to two years.”
Same Process, No Progress|Yousef Munayyer|May 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST

When does a meme officially jump the shark and reach its expiration date?
Miners Fired Over ‘Harlem Shake’ Video & Other Job-Killing Memes|Kevin Fallon|March 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
At the expiration of a couple of hours we had penetrated to the very heart of the wild wood.
The Memoirs of a White Elephant|Judith Gautier
At the expiration of the month the mysterious stranger appeared, and demanded the requiem.
The Mysteries of All Nations|James Grant
His lieutenants were chosen among transported convicts who had returned before the expiration of their terms.
A History of English Prose Fiction|Bayard Tuckerman
They decided the question of the renewal long before the expiration of the existing charter.
Thirty Years' View (Vol. II of 2)|Thomas Hart Benton
At the expiration of his year of office, the Consul was sent to govern a province for one year, and was then called the Proconsul.
History of Rome from the Earliest times down to 476 AD|Robert F. Pennell

British Dictionary definitions for expiration

expiration

/ (ˌɛkspɪˈreɪʃən) /

noun

the finish of something; ending; expiry

the act, process, or sound of breathing out

rare a last breath; death

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

Word Origin and History for expiration

expiration

early 15c., "vapor, breath," from Middle French expiration, from Latin expirationem/exspirationem (nominative expiratio/exspiratio), noun of action from past participle stem of expirare/exspirare (see expire). Meaning "termination, end, close" is from 1560s.