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.
-
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
-
(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
-
has been expiringperfect progressive
Past
-
expiredsimple
-
had expiredperfect
-
was expiringprogressive
-
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:
Passed in 2012, it was supposed to expire in 2019.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 5, 2026
Police say inquiries are ongoing into a number of Commonwealth athletes who have failed to turn up for homeward flights, but it is understood little can be done until the existing visas expire.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026
Restrictions on Rio restarting deal talks with Glencore expire Wednesday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026
"AI is the growth story but rests on computer contracts that expire by end-2029," Phillip Securities, one of the few firms to recommend selling the stock, said in an analyst note.
From Barron's ● Aug. 4, 2026
I think I might expire from happiness or something, because if it is him, my shiny, future self might be materializing before my eyes.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
If the stock rises above $110 before the option expires, you will be forced to sell it for $110 no matter how high the share price has risen.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026
The president is reportedly considering pushing Infantino to become the next United Nations secretary-general when António Guterres’ term expires in December.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
It's an extension of the 16-17 Saver railcard which currently expires when the holder turns 18.
From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026
Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s office on Thursday, are meant to replace Trump’s temporary 10% global tariff, which expires early Friday.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
You get the low rates after Labor Day, and your lease expires in June.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
That deadline expired on Monday with neither side giving ground, leaving an unclear path to ending the conflict.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026
Moorings Park Communities, a luxury senior-living development in Naples, lost seven TPS holders whose work authorizations recently expired, said Chief Executive Daniel Lavender.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
He is the second England player to join Inter this summer with John Stones moving to the San Siro after his Manchester City contract expired.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
When asked whether the program has been terminated, EPA officials said simply that the committee’s charter expired on June 5, 2025.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The sticker on his license plate is expired.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
The federal government was required to set new rules for addressing shortages this year because the old rules are expiring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026
Zion Research Group, which specializes in accounting and taxes, estimates the latest 100% expensing provision was worth $31.8 billion last year to Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, Alphabet and Oracle combined, relative to the expiring provision.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
But, with Vinicius a year away from his Real contract expiring, it is not simply a case of merely matching - or even slightly improving - his money if he was to leave this summer.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The recent exchange of fire threatens a 2022 truce that has held despite expiring.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
At the beginning of 1997 Fischer’s passport was expiring.
From "Endgame" by Frank Brady
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.
