transpire

[tran-spahyuhr]

verb (used without object)

transpired, transpiring 

1. to occur; happen; take place.

2. to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.

3. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.

4. to be revealed or become known.

verb (used with object)

transpired, transpiring 

1. to emit or give off (waste matter, watery vapor, an odor, etc.) through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.

transpire

/ ˌtrænspəˈreɪʃən, trænˈspaɪə /

verb

1. (intr) to come to light; be known

2. informal,  (intr) to happen or occur

3. physiol to give off or exhale (water or vapour) through the skin, a mucous membrane, etc

4. (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
• transpiratory adjective
• untranspiring adjective
• transpiration noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of transpire¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin trānspīrāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + spīrāre “to breathe”

Word History and Origins

Origin of transpire¹

C16: from Medieval Latin transpīrāre , from Latin _trans- + spīrāre to breathe

Example Sentences

It may transpire that Verstappen's car was handicapped when he set his fastest time.

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“This has been such a valuable year for him — to serve as a backup quarterback, to learn, to just kind of be there to see all of these things transpire,” Riley said.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

An ordinary illustrator might have dramatized the scene at ground level; St. John literally elevates his image by having the conflict transpire in midair.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Each, it will transpire, carries a burden of guilt dating from the invasion.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

These are just a few of the treacherous episodes that have recently transpired at landfills in California, subjecting the state’s waste management industry to growing scrutiny by residents and regulators.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• arise 
• befall 
• ensue