WordGarden.ioexpire
C1Pronunciation
UK
- /ɛkspˈaɪə/
US
- /ɪkˈspaɪr/
Meanings
Verb
to stop being valid or usable after a set time
to die
to breathe air out of the lungs
Beyond the definition
Imagine a carton of milk in your fridge. It doesn't last forever, does it? Eventually, the date on the side is reached, and people often say it has expired. To expire means to reach the end of the time when something is allowed, safe, or usable. A passport can expire, a coupon can expire, and in a more formal or literary sense, even a person can expire.
You might say your driver's license will expire next year, meaning you'll need to renew it before then. Or, if a deal is only good for a limited time, it will expire on a certain date. The word is mostly used for dates, documents, agreements, offers, foods, and medicines.
To expire means to come to an end or cease to be valid, often after a specific period of time. It's most commonly used in relation to things that have a limited lifespan or legal validity. Think about a warranty on a product—it expires after a certain amount of time, meaning the manufacturer is no longer responsible for repairs.
You'll frequently hear "expire" when people talk about official documents like passports, driver's licenses, or visas. For example: "My passport expires in six months, so I need to renew it before my trip." It also applies to food and medicine that pass the date printed on the package, although in exact use the item itself may spoil, lose strength, or no longer be recommended for use.
But "expire" isn't limited to physical items. It can also describe rules, contracts, subscriptions, or agreements that reach their official end. "The ceasefire agreement expired without a lasting peace" means the formal time limit of the agreement ended. In formal or literary English, it can also mean "to die," based on the old image of breathing one's last breath.
Historically, the word comes from the Latin exspirare, meaning "to breathe out." This hints at the idea of something reaching its natural conclusion or "breathing its last." So, whether it's a legal document, a carton of milk, or a fleeting emotion—when something expires, it reaches its end point and is no longer in effect.
Examples
- 1
Passport
My passport expires next spring.
- 2
Offer deadline
This offer expires at midnight.
- 3
Website session
The website logs you out when your session expires.
- 4
Lease
Their lease expires in August, so they are looking for a new apartment.
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Airline miles
Some airline miles expire if you do not use them within a year.
- 6
Medical writing
The patient expired shortly after midnight.
- Usageexpired
died; formal, especially in medical writing
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- expireverb
Forms
- expiredpast tenseverb
- expiresverb
- expiring-ing formverb