definitions

expire

[ ik-spahyuh r ]
/ ɪkˈspaɪər /
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR expire ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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RELATED WORDS

quit, finish, depart, conclude, die, lapse, terminate, cease, pass, close, decease, elapse, end, perish, stop, go, croak, exhale, emit, expel

Nearby words

expiration, expiration date, expiratory, expiratory reserve volume, expiratory stridor, expire, expired gas, expiry, expiscate, explain, explain away

Origin of expire

1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin ex(s)pīrāre to breathe out, equivalent to ex- ex-1 + spīrāre to breathe
Related forms
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples 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 Formsexpirer, noun

Word 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 Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for expire

expire

v.

c.1400, "to die," from Middle French expirer (12c.) "expire, elapse," from Latin expirare/exspirare "breathe out, breathe one's last, die," from ex- "out" (see ex-) + spirare "to breathe" (see spirit). "Die" is the older sense in English; that of "breathe out" is first attested 1580s. Of laws, patents, treaties, etc., mid-15c. Related: Expired; expiring.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine 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.