expired

adjective

ex·​pired ik-ˈspī(-ə)rd 

ek-

1

formal : dead, deceased

—often used as a euphemistic or humorous alternative to dead

A shovel, bucket, trash bags, and gloves are also useful items for cleaning up expired wildlife.

—Jeffrey Price and Jeffrey Forrest

… I've exercised my maternal instincts on him, doing a far better job of keeping him alive than all those expired plants now in the great compost pile in the sky.

—Kerry Quinn

There, firmly lodged within the pipe and obstructing the flow of water, was a catfish. The expired creature was removed, brought on board, and mounted in the main passenger cabin for all to see.

—John Laurence Busch

2

: no longer valid : having exceeded its period of validity

expired licenses

an expired contract

… Mr. Adams uses homemade software to download online books with expired copyrights …

—Michael M. Phillips

3

: having passed its expiration date (see expiration date sense 2)

expired milk

expired drugs

… networks that now take us into the homes of people who treasure their expired tuna cans more than they do their children …

—Carina Chocano

4

: emitted as or in a person's breath : breathed out

… the person exhales into a container at regular intervals and technicians measure the amount of hydrogen in the expired air.

—Colleen Sauber

Synonyms

• bygone
• bypast
• dead
• defunct
• departed
• done
• extinct
• gone
• nonextant
• vanished

Examples of expired in a Sentence

a wildlife organization dedicated to ensuring that the giant panda not be added to the list of expired species

Recent Examples on the Web

By following the latest trends and tracking expired domains, building a domain portfolio is an accessible investment path for many people. —Darpan Munjal, Forbes, 11 Dec. 2024

The next biggest sources of expired authorizations, after veterans' health care, include programs that invest in opioid treatment, the State Department and housing assistance. —Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 21 Nov. 2024

Any expired forms cannot be expired beyond four years prior, for voters ages 18 to 69. —Alexis Simmerman, Austin American-Statesman, 4 Nov. 2024

In February of 2024, a federal appeals court heard oral arguments on whether the company can continue transporting oil on the reservation with an expired easement. —Laura Schulte, Journal Sentinel, 14 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1