expire

verb

ex·​pire ik-ˈspī(-ə)r How to pronounce expire (audio)
 usually for intransitive sense 3 and transitive sense 2  ek-
expired; expiring

intransitive verb

1
: to breathe one's last breath : die
2
: to come to an end: such as
a
: to exceed its period of validity
The contract will expire next month.
b
: to pass its expiration date (see expiration date sense 2)
This milk has expired.
" … when drugs expire, you can't just leave these things lying around."Ed Haislmaier
3
: to emit the breath

transitive verb

1
obsolete : conclude
2
: to breathe out from or as if from the lungs
3
archaic : emit

Examples of expire in a Sentence

My driver's license has expired. She expired after a long illness. measuring the volume of air expired from the lungs
Recent Examples on the Web According to Radio France Internationale, missile-maker MBDA has been restoring expired French air force SCALP-EG for onward transfer to Ukraine. David Axe, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Fed must stimulate to offset government spending cuts To stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratio, Tudor Jones believes the Trump tax cut must expire, payroll taxes should rise by 1%, and households earning $200,000 or more must be taxed at 49.5%—just for starters. Christiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2024 The players union and league had until Nov. 1 to opt out of the deal (which was previously set to expire in 2027) and took the opportunity to do so with attention at a high following a thrilling end of the season. Eric Jackson, Sportico.com, 23 Oct. 2024 By midnight Thursday, Roberson’s death warrant dictating the date of the execution had expired, and a spokesperson for the department confirmed a judge would need to order a new date. Dakin Andone, CNN, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for expire 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'expire.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Middle French or Latin; Anglo-French espirer to breathe out, from Latin exspirare, from ex- + spirare to breathe

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of expire was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near expire

Cite this Entry

“Expire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expire. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

expire

verb
ex·​pire ik-ˈspī(ə)r How to pronounce expire (audio)
 usually for sense 3  ek-
expired; expiring
1
: to breathe one's last breath : die
2
: to come to an end : be no longer in force
this offer expires March 1
my driver's license has expired
3
a
: to let the breath out
b
: to breathe out from or as if from the lungs

Medical Definition

expire

verb
ex·​pire
ik-ˈspī(ə)r, usually for vi 2 and vt ek-
expired; expiring

intransitive verb

1
: to breathe one's last breath : die
2
: to emit the breath

transitive verb

: to breathe out from or as if from the lungs
the basal metabolism test … measures the amount of carbon dioxide expired by the lungsJ. D. Ratcliff

More from Merriam-Webster on expire

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!