expire
verb (used without object)
to come to an end; terminate, as a contract, guarantee, or offer.
were expiring
-
past progressiveof expire.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
Wedbush’s ETF launch came as the terms of the settlement agreement between Ives and the SEC were expiring.
From Barron's ● Jan. 30, 2026
Wildlife that hadn’t fled were expiring in the water.
From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2022
The drug’s existing patents were expiring, and new ones enabled the company to maintain its monopoly — and the bounty that goes with it — much longer.
From New York Times ● Apr. 16, 2022
It seemed in many quarters the vestiges of the past were expiring in a nation that for so long had failed to confront the sins and injustices on which its foundations rested.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 24, 2021
Just as they were expiring, they exclaimed, "O foolish creatures that we are, for the sake of a little pleasure we have destroyed ourselves."
From Aesop's Fables Translated by George Fyler Townsend by George Fyler Townsend
