WordLens

expire

1 of 1verb
/ˈɪks.paɪr/
Forms:expires,expiring,expired,expired
1

to pass away or cease to live

  • The old dog expired peacefully in its sleep.
  • The patient expired despite the doctors’ efforts.
  • Her grandfather expired quietly at home, surrounded by family.
  • He expired after a long battle with illness.
  • The elderly man expired quietly in his chair by the fire.
Synonyms:
pop offexitbuy the farmdeceasedrop deadcash in one's chipsgive-up the ghostchokediegopassconksnuff itperishcroakpass awaykick the bucket
Antonyms:
be born
2

(particularly of a time period) to no longer be valid or active

  • The three-year period has expired, so the contract is no longer valid.
  • The president's term of office expires in December.
  • The deadline for registration has expired, so no more applications are being accepted.
  • His tenure as CEO expires at the end of the fiscal year.
3

(of a document, contract, etc.) to no longer be legally recognized because of reaching the end of validity period

C1
  • Her driver's license is set to expire next month, so she needs to renew it before then.
  • The lease on their apartment expired at the end of the year, prompting them to negotiate a new rental agreement.
  • The warranty on the laptop expired just before it started having technical issues, leaving him responsible for repair costs.
  • The contract with the supplier automatically expired after three years, requiring renegotiation of terms for continued service.
  • His passport expired while he was abroad, causing delays and complications when trying to return home.
Synonyms:
run out
4

to release air from the lungs, often as a breath or sigh

transitive
  • She expired a deep breath after finishing the race.
  • He expired a sigh of relief when the test was finally over.
  • He slowly expired the air from his lungs before speaking.
  • She expired a soft sigh as she closed her eyes.
  • He expired a gentle exhale, feeling at peace with the world.
Synonyms:
exhalebreathe out
Antonyms:
inhale
5

to become unsafe to use after a certain period of time

  • The milk expired yesterday, so it’s no longer safe to drink.
  • This bottle of cough syrup expires in two weeks.
  • The salad dressing expired two weeks ago, so I didn’t use it.
  • The food in the fridge expires next week, so we should eat it soon.
  • This medicine expired last month and should not be taken.