Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
expire. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
expire, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
expire in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
expire you have here. The definition of the word
expire will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
expire, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Middle English expire, from Middle French expirer, from Latin exspīrō, exspīrāre, from ex- (“out”) + spīrō, spīrāre (“breathe, be alive”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɪkˈspaɪə(ɹ)/, /ɛkˈspaɪə(ɹ)/
- Rhymes: -aɪə(ɹ)
- Hyphenation: ex‧pire
Verb
expire (third-person singular simple present expires, present participle expiring, simple past and past participle expired)
- (intransitive) To die.
- Synonyms: see Thesaurus:die
The patient expired in hospital.
1748, [Samuel Richardson], “Letter CXIII”, in Clarissa. Or, The History of a Young Lady: , volume VII, London: S Richardson; , →OCLC, page 415:And then, his head ſinking on his pillow, he expired; at about half an hour after ten.
1764 December 24 (indicated as 1765), Onuphrio Muralto, translated by William Marshal [pseudonyms; Horace Walpole], chapter V, in The Castle of Otranto, , London: Tho Lownds , →OCLC, pages 190–191:Hippolita, ſcarce more alive than her daughter, was regardleſs of every thing but her: but when the tender Iſabella’s care would have likewiſe removed her, while the ſurgeons examined Matilda’s wound, ſhe cried, remove me! never! never! I lived but in her, and will expire with her.
1833, R. J. Bertin, translated by Charles W. Chauncy, Treatise on the Diseases of the Heart, and Great Vessels, Philadelphia: Carey, Lea & Blnachard, page 185:Soon the patient had no longer sufficient strength to sit up; the trunk of the body was inclined to the right side, the head high and thrown backward, the mouth wide open: she seemed to stifle rather than respire: lastly, speech and respiration failed her; she uttered, however, in a feeble voice, some incoherent words, said she felt she was dying, and, accordingly, expired the sixth day after entrance.
- (intransitive) To lapse and become invalid.
My library card will expire next week.
- (intransitive) To come to an end; to conclude.
- (transitive, intransitive) To exhale; to breathe out.
- Antonym: inspire
1672, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus, Or, The Anatomy of Consumptions:Anatomy exhibits the lungs in a continual motion of inspiring and expiring air.
1717, John Dryden, Meleager and Atalanta:This chafed the boar; his nostrils flames expire.
1843, Loring Dudley Chapin, (Please provide the book title or journal name):Animals expire carbon and plants inspire it; plants expire oxygen and animals inspire it.
- (transitive) To give forth insensibly or gently, as a fluid or vapour; to emit in minute particles.
1631, Francis [Bacon], “(please specify |century=I to X)”, in Sylua Syluarum: Or A Naturall Historie. In Ten Centuries. , 3rd edition, London: William Rawley; rinted by J H for William Lee , →OCLC:the expiring of cold out of the inward parts of the earth in winter
- (transitive) To bring to a close; to terminate.
c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :Expire the term / Of a despised life.
Derived terms
Related terms
Translations
become invalid
- Bulgarian: изтичам (bg) (iztičam)
- Chinese:
- Mandarin: 失效 (zh) (shīxiào)
- Danish: udløbe
- Dutch: aflopen (nl), vervallen (nl), verstrijken (nl), verlopen (nl)
- French: expirer (fr)
- German: ablaufen (de), erlöschen (de), verfallen (de)
- Hungarian: lejár (hu), érvényét veszti
- Indonesian: kedaluwarsa (id)
- Japanese: 失効する (ja) (shikkō suru)
- Maori: mōnehu
- Norwegian:
- Bokmål: utløpe
- Polish: przeterminować się pf, wygasać (pl) impf, wygasnąć (pl) pf
- Portuguese: vencer (pt), expirar (pt)
- Russian: истека́ть (ru) impf (istekátʹ), исте́чь (ru) pf (istéčʹ)
- Sicilian: scàdiri, spiriri (scn)
- Spanish: vencer (es), caducar (es)
- Swedish: gå ut (sv), löpa ut (sv)
- Vietnamese: hết hạn
|
Further reading
Anagrams
French
Pronunciation
Verb
expire
- inflection of expirer:
- first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
- second-person singular imperative
Anagrams
Portuguese
Verb
expire
- inflection of expirar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative
Romanian
Pronunciation
Verb
expire
- third-person singular/plural present subjunctive of expira
Spanish
Verb
expire
- inflection of expirar:
- first/third-person singular present subjunctive
- third-person singular imperative