Meaning & use
expiring
Last updated
Coming to an end, especially of a period of validity, or, more formally, dying.
See it in a sentence
My passport is expiring next month, so I need to renew it.
The old man lay expiring quietly, surrounded by his family.
A note on using this word
The formal sense meaning "dying" comes from the Latin "expirare," literally "to breathe out," reflecting the idea of a final breath.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
Another way to use it
2. verb
Dying; breathing one's last.
The soldier lay expiring on the battlefield as his comrades rushed to his side.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “expiring”, then compare your use with the examples above.