expiration

American  

[ek-spuh-rey-shuhn] / ˌɛk spəˈreɪ ʃən /

noun

expirations plural

1. a coming to an end; termination; close.

   the expiration of a contract.

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

3. Archaic. death.

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expiration British  

/ ˌɛkspɪˈreɪʃən /

noun

1. the finish of something; ending; expiry

2. the act, process, or sound of breathing out

3. rare a last breath; death

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expiration Scientific  

/ ĕk′spə-rā′shən /

1. See exhalation

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonexpiration
  noun
• preexpiration
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• expirations
  plural

Etymology

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

Compare meaning

How does expiration compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• expiry vs. expiration

Explanation

Expiration is what happens when a lease or contract — or a period of time — has ended. The expiration of your library card means you need to sign up for a new one. You might notice that your container of yogurt is marked with a date — it's the expiration date, or the day the product is no longer fresh enough to be sold or eaten. Other things with expiration dates include magazine subscriptions, rental agreements, and drivers' licenses. All of these are a sort of contract that eventually ends, or expires. When you breathe out, that's technically also expiration, from the Latin expirare, "breathe out," or "breathe one's last breath."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

expiration expirations

"Leeds United can confirm Karl Darlow has left the club upon the expiration of his contract to pursue an opportunity elsewhere," Leeds said in a statement.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

The update came on July 10, the original expiration date set for TPS holders’ work authorizations.

From Salon ● Jul. 13, 2026

Despite a 10-year countdown to the deal's expiration, the senior US official said countries need not wait a decade to conclude their agreement.

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

He plans to hold the other contract until its expiration date in December but might sell the contract for profit if Stretch drops into the $50 to $60 range before then.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 30, 2026

“You know what milk tastes like when it nears the expiration date, just the littlest bit sour?”

From "Adrift" by Paul Griffin

Because we are creating synthetic stock—trader jargon for using options to mimic actual shares—let’s use expirations of six months and longer to simulate equity ownership.

From Barron's ● Jun. 24, 2026

The contracts currently have expirations that extend up to a decade.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

This entails buying a put option and selling two other puts with lower strikes but similar expirations.

From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026

With a quiet period for patent expirations this year and next, there is limited room for near-term consensus estimates to increase, they add.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 23, 2026

During a paroxysm the expirations are made with such violence, and repeated in such quick succession, that the child cannot breathe, and seems in danger of suffocation.

From The Maternal Management of Children, in Health and Disease by Bull, Thomas

Related Words

• expiry
• termination