expire
Americanverb (used without object)
-
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)
-
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
-
to breathe out (air); exhale
-
(intr) to die
Other Word Forms
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
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Vocabulary from texts about wild animals
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for January 1–January 7, 2022
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
Born to Expire was really cool, but I thought Desperate Measures just had this really cool songwriting going on – it wasn’t as fast, but it was still very, very metal.
From The Guardian • Feb. 21, 2017
The Angels of Wind and of Fire Chant only one hymn, and expire With the song's irresistible stress; Expire in their rapture and wonder, As harp-strings are broken asunder By music they throb to express.
From The Complete Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow by Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth
Cf. iv, 3, 171: “and good men’s lives Expire before the flowers in their caps, Dying or ere they sicken.”
From Hazlitt on English Literature An Introduction to the Appreciation of Literature by Zeitlin, Jacob
Cry not, dear baby, Of nothing possessed; But if thou wouldst, dear, Expire well dressed....
From Library of the World's Best Literature, Ancient and Modern, Vol. 16 by Various
The river-sounds, no longer audible, Expire at Eden's door.
From The Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Vol. I by Browning, Elizabeth Barrett
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.
