transpire
Americanverb (used without object)
-
transpires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
transpired,
past participle, past
-
transpiring
present participle
-
to occur; happen; take place.
-
to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.
-
to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
-
to be revealed or become known.
verb (used with object)
-
transpires,
present (3rd person singular)
-
transpired,
past participle, past
-
transpiring
present participle
verb
-
(intr) to come to light; be known
-
informal (intr) to happen or occur
-
physiol to give off or exhale (water or vapour) through the skin, a mucous membrane, etc
-
(of plants) to lose (water in the form of water vapour), esp through the stomata of the leaves
Usage
It is often maintained that transpire should not be used to mean happen or occur, as in the event transpired late in the evening , and that the word is properly used to mean become known, as in it transpired later that the thief had been caught . The word is, however, widely used in the former sense, esp in spoken English
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
transpiresimple
-
transpiressimple
-
have transpiredperfect
-
has transpiredperfect
-
am transpiringprogressive
-
are transpiringprogressive
-
is transpiringprogressive
-
have been transpiringperfect progressive
-
has been transpiringperfect progressive
Past
-
transpiredsimple
-
had transpiredperfect
-
was transpiringprogressive
-
were transpiringprogressive
-
had been transpiringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of transpire
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin trānspīrāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + spīrāre “to breathe”
Explanation
Transpire is a fancy way of saying "happen." You might go to a fortune teller to find out what will transpire in the future. Originally used to express when information became known or came to light, many purists will tell you that's really the best way to use transpire. It can also mean releasing vapor into the air, like when a plant transpires water through its leaves on a hot day. Note: you'll usually encounter this word in its past tense: for example, "We had to watch the replay to figure out what had transpired."
Vocabulary lists containing transpire
The Great Gatsby
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!
"To His Coy Mistress" by Andrew Marvell
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!
I Am Malala
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.
See Examples For:
The epistemic mismatch between her idea of what would transpire and the frat brothers’ is truly tragic.
From Slate ● Oct. 9, 2026
However, it has been postponed until 2028 and, with conflict in the Middle East further unsettling investors and logistics, looks increasingly unlikely to transpire.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2026
Carney added he was awaiting a response from Air Canada’s board about why this was allowed to transpire.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 30, 2026
Analysts are split about whether that sort of transaction could still transpire in the near term.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 3, 2026
What on earth of importance could transpire in so dingy a place?
From "Black Boy" by Richard Wright
Of exactly what transpires in the opening episodes, I won’t say much, given the feints and spoilers, though these are likely to be revised more than once across a 13-episode season.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
In an era when short TikTok and YouTube videos are being blamed for eroding attention spans and fueling a reading crisis, social media, it transpires, is creating new audiences for the classics.
From Barron's ● Sep. 4, 2026
Freedom of the seas, it transpires, is challenging to enforce.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 21, 2026
But it now transpires that Gordon Brown had asked the cabinet secretary to undertake a similar exercise as long ago as last September - although it unearthed nothing.
From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026
We do not know what transpires within the Town, but there is much Word among the assembled Regiments that it is become a Prison & only those who obtains Passes from Gen. Gage may leave.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
The event, it transpired, had not been viewed as paid professional work.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
Several areas of the report were redacted, including statements from the brothers about what transpired as they called 911.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
"I think the next generation just can't fathom what actually transpired and how someone could be impacted by that, and so I actually find them asking more questions," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Sep. 11, 2026
Chief executive Matthew Pavlich said the club was "still piecing together exactly what's transpired", and would not be drawn on what the specific allegations are.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Nobody had ever witnessed anything quite like what had just transpired.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
"What ended up transpiring was that I was quite good at the beauty industry job," she says and eventually she dropped out of university to pursue a career in it.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Imagine the trash talk that might be transpiring with Lappe on second base talking to Brooks, one of his best friends who plays shortstop.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 15, 2026
Paul Vieira covers Canada for The Wall Street Journal, and is based in Ottawa.He writes about what’s transpiring in the U.S.’s northern neighbor with an eye toward the broader global context.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 18, 2025
“I think it was hard enough for the SEC and others to understand what was transpiring in the market then.”
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2025
I had been isolated from developments in other parts of the country and was eager to see for myself what was transpiring in the hinterlands.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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.
