noun
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the finish of something; ending; expiry
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the act, process, or sound of breathing out
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rare a last breath; death
Other Word Forms
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
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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."
Vocabulary lists containing expiration
"The Latehomecomer," Vocabulary from the memoir excerpt
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Abraham Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address
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"The Latehomecomer" by Kao Kalia Yang
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
WTI for June delivery is down 1.9% at $103.40 ahead of tomorrow’s expiration, with the most-active July contract off 1.4% at $99.65.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 19, 2026
The patent expiration of eye drug Eylea has weighed on the results of Bayer’s pharma business in recent quarters.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026
District Court for the Southern District of New York, just days before the expiration of a lookback window.
From Los Angeles Times • May 1, 2026
The bursting of the dot-com bubble in 2000 was also preceded by the expiration of these so-called lockup periods.
From Barron's • Apr. 29, 2026
He picked up a snack cake, turned it over to check the expiration date.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
