See Also: expire(medicine)
Expire(money)
expire(dictionary)
expire(dictionary)

expire (iou)



expire verb. LME.
[Old & mod. French expirer from Latin ex(s)pirare breathe out, formed as EX-1 1 + spirare breathe.]
I. Die; come or bring to an end.
verb trans. Breathe out (the soul, one's last breath, etc.) in the act of dying. LME-E18.
verb intrans. Of a person or animal: breathe for the last time, die. Of a fire etc.: die out. LME.
S. King A young man..had remained in a coma for fourteen years before expiring. J. Thurber He tossed away his cigar and watched it expire in the damp night grass.
verb intrans. Of a period of time: come to an end; rare elapse, pass. Of an action, state, legal title, etc: cease, die out; become void or extinct through lapse of time. LME.
J. Galsworthy The agreement..was for a period of five years, of which one only had expired. P. Ustinov At midnight..a British ultimatum expired, and Britain was..at war.
verb trans. Bring to an end; conclude; make (a charter, gift, etc.) invalid or void. LME-E17.
II. Exhale, emit.
verb trans. & intrans. Breathe out (air etc.). Opp. inspire. L16.
Pass out like a breath; be exhaled; (of a wind, flame, projectile, etc.) rush forth. Now rare. E17.
verb trans. Give off or emit (a perfume, vapour, etc.), exhale; (of a volcano) emit (flames). E17-E19.
expi'ree noun (Hist.) a person sentenced to transportation to Australia whose term of punishment had expired E19.
expirer noun L18.