Meaning & use

expiring

verb·Everyday

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

lapsingending

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

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