expire
Americanverb (used without object)
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to come to an end; terminate, as a contract, guarantee, or offer.
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to emit the last breath; die.
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to breathe out.
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to die out, as a fire.
verb (used with object)
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to breathe out; emit (air) from the lungs.
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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
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have been expiringperfect progressive
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has been expiringperfect progressive
Past
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expiredsimple
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had expiredperfect
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was expiringprogressive
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were expiringprogressive
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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:
Current planning permission would expire on 3 June 2027, with a condition requiring the site to be restored to its original condition within six months.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Kalshi earlier launched perpetual futures, or so-called perps, which never expire and let traders pile leverage onto trades.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
The United States is set to make an announcement on tariffs later Thursday, the White House said, hours before President Donald Trump's 10-percent global duty is due to expire.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Even the Cboe options, which settle for cash on their last day, are still options on the VIX futures until the day the options expire.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
Starvation is not a pleasant way to expire.
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
Scaloni, 48, may be out of a job when his contract expires in December, but his message for the fans was don’t cry for me, Argentina.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Within hours of that ruling, the president fell back on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974—a never-before-used balance-of-payments provision that expires after 150 days—to impose a new global surcharge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
When the moratorium expires, the grid constraints will remain; only New York’s competitive position will have changed.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Graham, a prominent foreign-policy hawk and close Trump ally, died unexpectedly over the weekend at 71, leaving McMaster responsible for appointing someone to serve until the senator's term expires in January.
From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026
She said, “’Ef dooda, expires in two years.
From "Healer of the Water Monster" by Brian Young
Clayton will need to work with Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which expired in June.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
The state, aware of the misconduct findings in Ohio, granted a temporary one that has since expired.
From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026
Temporary rent controls were introduced in Scotland in October 2022 but expired last year.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The vehicle’s registration turned out to be expired, Castronovo said, but the driver was allowed to leave without a citation after the officers searched his vehicle and found nothing incriminating.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
To make matters worse, the supermarket offer had expired, so there were no other volumes.
From "Maniac Magee" by Jerry Spinelli
The federal government must adopt a new framework this year because the old rules, set in 2007, are expiring.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
In crafting the replacement tariffs, administration officials have said they would devise levies at similar levels to the expiring levies.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Analysts widely expect the duties over forced labor to replace the temporary 10-percent global tariff -- expiring Friday -- that Trump imposed after his Supreme Court setback.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
“Investors should monitor this event for potential volatility driven by both earnings performance and the supply overhang from the expiring lock-up,” Clear Street Research analysts advised in a July 7 note to clients.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
Her graduation was approaching, her student visa expiring.
From "Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
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.
