expire
Americanverb (used without object)
-
expires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
expired,
past participle, past
-
expiring
present participle
-
to come to an end; terminate, as a contract, guarantee, or offer.
-
to emit the last breath; die.
-
to breathe out.
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to die out, as a fire.
verb (used with object)
-
expires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
expired,
past participle, past
-
expiring
present participle
-
to breathe out; emit (air) from the lungs.
-
Archaic. to give off, emit, or eject.
verb
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(intr) to finish or run out; cease; come to an end
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to breathe out (air); exhale
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(intr) to die
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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expiresimple
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expiressimple
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have expiredperfect
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has expiredperfect
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am expiringprogressive
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are expiringprogressive
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is expiringprogressive
-
have been expiringperfect progressive
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has been expiringperfect progressive
Past
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expiredsimple
-
had expiredperfect
-
was expiringprogressive
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were expiringprogressive
-
had been expiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of expire
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ex ( s ) pīrāre to breathe out, equivalent to ex- ex- 1 + spīrāre to breathe
Explanation
If something — like milk or a free shipping coupon — expires, it is no longer usable or valid. When you expire, you will be dead. The verb expire comes from the Latin expirare, meaning “breathe out,” and the modern use retains that ancient meaning. The expanded, and more commonly used, meaning of expire is that the breath has — literally or figuratively — departed. When you expire your breath, you breathe out; you exhale. Things with a limited shelf life sometimes offer an expiration date that lets you know when they will expire: yogurt, frozen burritos, and even contracts for temporary employment. But some things expire in their own time: life, love, and car batteries.
Vocabulary lists containing expire
"The Monkey's Paw" by W. W. Jacobs
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Vocabulary from texts about wild animals
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This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 1–January 7, 2022
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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.
See Examples For:
During the same period of time, he and the Steelers were unable to come to terms on a contract extension on the rookie deal that was set to expire after this season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Analysts at Barclays say investors it’s talked to are confused about the direction of the company and how it can navigate when key patents expire in 2030 and 2032.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
The pact was originally due to expire in November but both sides have agreed to extend it until January 10, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
In return, Xi announced he was giving the Atlanta Zoo two panda bears and extended the U.S.–China trade-war truce, which was about to expire, by two months.
From Slate ● Sep. 25, 2026
The problem, from the point of view of a lawyer closing an investment fund, was that these strange contracts did not expire until 2035.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
The Spaniard's current deal expires at the end of this season but talks over a new contract have been ongoing for a number of months.
From BBC ● Sep. 22, 2026
Once the introductory rate expires, interest rates on any balance carried over monthly can rocket above 25%.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 16, 2026
Leaving center stage will be more difficult for Ronaldo, whose contract with Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr — a deal that reportedly pays him around $6 million a week — expires next year.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026
Unifor said the current labor deal expires on Aug. 20.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
“My contract expires in June,” he announced to all concerned.
From "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver
During the subprime-mortgage crisis, some ARM borrowers buckled under balloon payments when the initial fixed term of the loan expired.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 1, 2026
Prior to the 2008-09 recession, ARMs also came with the risk of balloon payments after the fixed-rate period expired, which left homeowners exposed to payment shocks.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026
However, as harassment is a summary only offence then it carries a statute of limitations of six months so would have expired back in June 2022.
From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026
But federal officials have targeted for arrest other immigrant groups whose TPS expired.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
She throws one into a bin and grumbles, “How do we have three bottles of expired salad dressing in here?”
From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan
Thankfully for City, only Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Marcus Bettinelli and Geronimo Rulli have contracts expiring in the next two summers, so that issue isn't as urgent as it could have been.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
For the stocks listed in this table, that would mean buying the straddles expiring on Aug. 14, or the next nearest date if that expiration date not exist for a particular stock.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
However, faced with missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season, the Giants shipped his expiring contract to a team that has October ambitions but one of the National League’s worst offenses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
The Sparks, meanwhile, are stuck in their rebuild limbo, with several veterans on long-term contracts and just Rae Burrell on an expiring contract.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 2, 2026
Franklin was himself within a day or two of expiring when he and the other survivors were rescued by a band of m6tis.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
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.
