expire
verb
ex·pire
ik-ˈspī(-ə)r 
usually for intransitive sense 3 and transitive sense 2 ek-
expired; expiring
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
Ed Haislmaier3
: to emit the breath
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
All gift cards for fast-fashion retailer Forever 21, which filed for bankruptcy, are set to expire this week.
—Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
Another put option, with a strike price of $260 and expiring on March 21, 2025, could have been bought for $1.89 on January 15, when Tesla closed at $428.22, and sold for $40.80 on March 10, when Tesla traded at $222.15, yielding a return of 2,059%.
—Korok Ray, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
With key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set to expire at the end of this year, Washington is debating tax reform behind closed doors, and their decisions will reverberate through every corner of American life.
—Jack Salmon, National Review, 14 Apr. 2025
The fate of president of basketball operations James Jones is not yet known, but his contract expires at the end of June, league sources said, and Ishbia is widely expected to consider new candidates for the role.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expire
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Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025
Another put option, with a strike price of $260 and expiring on March 21, 2025, could have been bought for $1.89 on January 15, when Tesla closed at $428.22, and sold for $40.80 on March 10, when Tesla traded at $222.15, yielding a return of 2,059%.
—Korok Ray, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
With key provisions of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) set to expire at the end of this year, Washington is debating tax reform behind closed doors, and their decisions will reverberate through every corner of American life.
—Jack Salmon, National Review, 14 Apr. 2025
The fate of president of basketball operations James Jones is not yet known, but his contract expires at the end of June, league sources said, and Ishbia is widely expected to consider new candidates for the role.
—Doug Haller, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for expire
Cite this Entry
“Expire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/expire. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
expire
verb
ex·pire
ik-ˈspī(ə)r
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
: to breathe out from or as if from the lungs
the basal metabolism test … measures the amount of carbon dioxide expired by the lungs—J. D. Ratcliff
J. D. RatcliffLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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