expiration

[ek-spuh-rey-shuh n]

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.

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. 2018

Examples from the Web for expiration

Contemporary Examples

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
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
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
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
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

Historical Examples

And, secondly, to marry Mr. Solmes, at the expiration of it.
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
At the expiration of this period, he was released by order of Parliament.
The Works of Whittier, Volume VI (of VII)
John Greenleaf Whittier
At the expiration of his apprenticeship, in 1832, he came to Ohio.
Cleveland Past and Present
Maurice Joblin
At the expiration of the term we agree upon, let us discuss this subject again.
Barnaby Rudge
Charles Dickens
And it was again a daughter, Madeleine, who came at the expiration of those two years.
Fruitfulness
Emile Zola

British Dictionary definitions for expiration

expiration

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

n.

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.

expiration in Medicine