expire
[ ik-spahyuhr ]
/ ɪkˈspaɪər /
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verb (used without object), ex·pired, ex·pir·ing.
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), ex·pired, ex·pir·ing.
to breathe out; emit (air) from the lungs.
Archaic. to give off, emit, or eject.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON “THEIR,” “THERE,” AND “THEY’RE”
Are you aware how often people swap around “their,” “there,” and “they’re”? Prove you have more than a fair grasp over these commonly confused words.
Question 1 of 7
Which one of these commonly confused words can act as an adverb or a pronoun?
Origin of expire
1375–1425; late Middle English <Latin ex(s)pīrāre to breathe out, equivalent to ex-ex-1 + spīrāre to breathe
OTHER WORDS FROM expire
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for expire
British Dictionary definitions for expire
expire
/ (ɪkˈspaɪə) /
verb
(intr) to finish or run out; cease; come to an end
to breathe out (air); exhale
(intr) to die
Derived forms of expire
expirer, nounWord Origin for expire
C15: from Old French expirer, from Latin exspīrāre to breathe out, from spīrāre to breathe
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Medical definitions for expire
expire
[ ĭk-spīr′ ]
v.
To breathe one's last breath; die.
To exhale.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.