Expire

• POS: Verb (intransitive)
• HYPHEN: ex=pire

CIDE DICTIONARY

Expire, v. t. [L. expirare, exspirare, expiratum, exspiratum; ex out + spirare to breathe: cf. F. expirer. See Spirit.].

•  To breathe out; to emit from the lungs; to throw out from the mouth or nostrils in the process of respiration; -- opposed to inspire.  [1913 Webster]

  "Anatomy exhibits the lungs in a continual motion of inspiring and expiring air."  [1913 Webster]

  "This chafed the boar; his nostrils flames expire."  [1913 Webster]
•  To give forth insensibly or gently, as a fluid or vapor; to emit in minute particles; to exhale; as, the earth expires a damp vapor; plants expire odors.  [1913 Webster]

  "The expiring of cold out of the inward parts of the earth in winter."  [1913 Webster]
•  To emit; to give out.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]
•  To bring to a close; to terminate.  [1913 Webster]

  "Expire the term
  Of a despised life."  [1913 Webster]

Expire, v. i. 

•  To emit the breath.  [1913 Webster]
•  To emit the last breath; to breathe out the life; to die; as, to expire calmly; to expire in agony.  [1913 Webster]
•  To come to an end; to cease; to terminate; to perish; to become extinct; as, the flame expired; his lease expires to-day; the month expired on Saturday.  [1913 Webster]
•  To burst forth; to fly out with a blast.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Expire, v.
1 intr. (of a period of time, validity, etc.) come to an end.
2 intr. (of a document, authorization, etc.) cease to be valid; become void.
3 intr. (of a person) die.
4 tr. (usu. foll. by from; also absol.) exhale (air etc.) from the lungs.

Derivative

expiratory adj. (in sense 4).

Etymology

ME f. OF expirer f. L exspirare (as EX-(1), spirare breathe)

THESAURUS

Expire

advance, be all over, be annihilated, be destroyed, be done for, be lost, be no more, be wiped out, become extinct, become void, blow, blow over, breathe, breathe hard, breathe in, breathe out, cease, cease to be, cease to exist, cease to live, close, come to naught, come to nothing, conclude, conk, conk out, continue, cough, croak, decease, demise, depart, depart this life, die, die away, die out, disappear, discontinue, dissolve, elapse, emit, end, endure, evacuate, evaporate, exhale, exhaust, expel, fade, fade away, fade out, fall, fall asleep, finish, flee, flit, flow, flow on, fly, fume, gasp, give off, give out, give vent to, glide, go, go by, go on, go out, gulp, hack, have it, have its time, hiccup, huff, inhale, inspire, kick off, lapse, last, leave no trace, let out, melt away, open the floodgates, open the sluices, pant, part, pass, pass away, pass by, pass on, pass over, peg out, perish, peter out, press on, proceed, puff, put off mortality, quit this world, reek, respire, return to dust, roll on, run, run its course, run on, run out, sigh, slide, slip, smoke, sneeze, sniff, sniffle, snore, snort, snuff, snuffle, steam, stop breathing, succumb, terminate, throw off, up and die, vanish, vapor, wear away, wear off, wheeze, yield the ghost

ROGET THESAURUS

Expire

End

VB end, close, finish, terminate, conclude, be all over, expire, die, come-, draw-to-a-close, have run its course, run out, pass away, bring to an end, put an end to, make an end of, determine, get through, achieve, stop, shut up shop, hang up one's fiddle.

Course

VB elapse, lapse, flow, run, proceed, advance, pass, roll on, wear on, press on, flit, fly, slip, slide, glide, run its course, run out, expire, go by, pass by, be past.

Death

VB die, expire, perish, meet one's death, meet one's end, pass away, be taken, yield one's breath, resign one's breath, resign one's being, resign one's life, end one's days, end one's life, end one's earthly career, breathe one's last, cease to live, cease to breathe, depart this life, be no more, go off, drop off, pop off, lose one's life, lay down one's life, relinquish one's life, surrender one's life, drop into the grave, sink into the grave, close one's eyes, fall dead, drop dead, fall down dead, drop down dead, break one's neck, give up the ghost, yield up the ghost, be all over with one, pay the debt to nature, shuffle off this mortal coil, take one's last sleep, go the way of all flesh, hand in one's checks, pass in one's checks, hand in one's chips, pass in one's chips, join the greater number, join the majority, come to dust, turn to dust, cross the Stygian ferry, cross the bar, go to one's long account, go to one's last home, go to Davy Jones's locker, go to the wall, receive one's death warrant, make one's will, step out, die a natural death, go out like the snuff of a candle, come to an untimely end, catch one's death, go off the hooks, kick the bucket, buy the farm, hop the twig, turn up one's toes, die a violent death.