Expire

How to spell expire

6 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce expire

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does expire mean?

1. verbTo come to an end or cease to be valid, as a document, contract, or period of time does.
2. verbTo die; to breathe one's last breath.

Expire in a sentence

• The warranty will expire at the end of the month.

• The patient was expected to expire within hours of the diagnosis.

• Renew the membership before the cards expire.

• The old soldier was content to expire peacefully at home.

Where does expire come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word comes from the Latin verb exspirare, formed from ex meaning 'out' and spirare meaning 'to breathe'. Its earliest literal sense was therefore 'to breathe out', which is why it could be used for breathing one's last breath and so for dying. English took it through Old French expirer in the late 1300s, and over time the meaning broadened from the loss of life to the simpler idea of something coming to an end, such as a contract or a licence reaching its limit. The same spirare root breathes through a whole family of relatives, including 'inspire' (to breathe in), 'respire', 'perspire' and 'spirit'. Knowing that buried 'spir' means 'breathe' helps fix the middle of the word, since the trap for many writers is hearing it as 'expier' and dropping the crucial 'r'.

How the word is built

• ex- (out)
• spir (breathe)
• -e (silent ending)