transpire
Americanverb (used without object)
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to occur; happen; take place.
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to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.
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to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
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to be revealed or become known.
verb (used with object)
verb
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(intr) to come to light; be known
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informal (intr) to happen or occur
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physiol to give off or exhale (water or vapour) through the skin, a mucous membrane, etc
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(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
- transpirable adjective
- transpiration noun
- transpiratory adjective
- untranspiring adjective
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”
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.
Clarity on how the shooting transpired may not come any time soon.
From Los Angeles Times
A seam shootout was apparent, yet few would have predicted what transpired over the following two days.
From BBC
He became emotional as he remembered the lives lost and everything that transpired since Jan. 7.
From Los Angeles Times
And very little that transpires between the current-day Chase and his director would belie the notion that Mr. Chase’s brand has gone down a hole of his own digging.
So, given all that has transpired in this unique opening year of 2025, the team at Blue Note knew their first New Year’s Eve show had to be noteworthy.
From Los Angeles Times
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.
