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to expire

to expire

31 8.6
To die, often used in medical or formal speech
  • verb
  • /ɪkˈspaɪər/
  • Formal
translation icon : fallecer
  • He expired from a hemorrhage as a result of his brain tumor.

And like there's after the humans expired on planet Earth, then it was the dogs.

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Examples

  • Be that as it may, our job is to meet the needs of the patient, until Doctor Garrett changes course or the patient expires.

  • Once I removed the weapon, I realized that the suspect had expired.

  • Or the doctors who allowed him to expire?

  • But your little town just expired.

  • Do they actually go to places where people have expired and see what has occurred?

    Blog text (30)
  • But then the lids of his eyes suddenly fell, and I thought he might expire on the steps.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • I thought some woman had come in to try on gowns and had expired right there on the carpet.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • In her bedroom in December 1969, Louise expired from an elegant cardiac arrest while the confounded hero looked on.

    Academic text (1998)
  • He had lost the power of speech, and expired with a smile of mingled gratitude and triumph.

  • The patient finally expired after months of battling his illness.

Synonyms

to die
vsto expire
1.0

To stop living and no longer be alive

is more formal or literary in tone rather than neutral wording
to pass
vsto expire
  • Formal
537 3.8

To stop living

uses a more formal or literary register than polite everyday speech
to passed away
vsto expire
258 2.7

To die, said in a gentle or polite way

leans toward formal or literary usage rather than just gentle politeness
to perish
vsto expire
  • Formal
121 6.0

To die suddenly or violently, often in large numbers

is the formal literary term without implying sudden or violent cause
to drop dead
vsto expire
  • Informal
52 8.4

Die suddenly, often from shock or extreme tiredness

is formal or literary and does not imply sudden collapse
to croak
vsto expire
  • Slang
32 9.0

To die, said in a casual or joking way

maintains formal literary tone and avoids slang or irreverence
to kick the bucket
vsto expire
  • Informal
7 8.6

To die, said in casual or joking speech

is formal or literary rather than informal or humorous
to buy the farm
vsto expire
  • Slang
5 9.9

To die suddenly, often in an accident or during fighting

is formal or literary and does not imply accidental or combat death
to give up the ghost
vsto expire
  • Informal
4 8.1

To die or stop working after a long time of problems

is a formal literary phrasing without humorous or mechanical sense
to snuff it
vsto expire
  • Slang
2 9.9

To stop living and not come back

expresses the same event with formal or literary wording instead of blunt slang
to return to dust
vsto expire
  • Literature
1 8.3

To slowly fall apart and disappear over time

focuses on formal or literary expression of passing from life
to pop off
vsto expire
  • Informal
1 9.1

To die, often said as a joke to make it seem less serious

keeps a formal or literary register rather than informal euphemism
to cash in one's chips
vsto expire
  • Informal
9.6

To die in a light, not serious way

is formal or literary and avoids jocular or playful tone

Antonyms

1.0

To continue to be alive

2.7

Continue to exist after a dangerous or difficult event

How Polite

to pass away
8 3.8
to pass
  • Formal
537 3.8
to expire
  • Formal
31 8.6
to die
1.0

Surface Forms

expire infinitive
expired past
expired past participle
expiring present participle
expires third person singular

Morphology

expire = ex + spir

Though historically formed from ex- + spir- meaning 'breathe out', the connection to 'die' is not recoverable from modern English morphemes for most learners, so the composition is opaque.

Etymology

The word expire comes from Latin ex- 'out' and spirare 'to breathe'. That gives the simple image of someone 'breathing out' their last breath, which is why expire can mean 'to die'.