Meaning & use
unexpired term
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountableformal
The remaining part of a fixed period of office or duty after someone leaves early.
Grammar: Countable: you can say 'an unexpired term' or 'unexpired terms'.
Patterns
- serve the unexpired term
- fill an unexpired term
- appointed for the unexpired term
When the mayor resigned, the city council had to fill the unexpired term.
She was elected to serve the unexpired term of the previous senator.
The governor appointed someone to complete the unexpired term.
Word forms
| plural | unexpired terms |
|---|
Common combinations
- serve out an unexpired term
- He agreed to serve out the unexpired term of his predecessor.
- fill an unexpired term
- A special election was held to fill the unexpired term.
- complete an unexpired term
- She will complete the unexpired term and then run for a full term.
- the remainder of an unexpired term
- The remainder of the unexpired term is only six months.
Synonyms and how they differ
- remaining term
- A more general phrase that can refer to any remaining period, not just an official term of office.
Opposites
Word family
- expire verb
- To come to an end; to stop being valid.
- expiration noun
- The ending of a period of time or validity.
- unexpired adjective
- Not yet ended or expired.
Commonly confused: unexpired term or expired term?
unexpired term vs expired term
An expired term has already ended, while an unexpired term is still ongoing and has time left.
Practice
What does 'unexpired term' mean?
Choose one answer.
An unexpired term is the portion of a fixed period still remaining when a person leaves office early. It is not a full new term.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “unexpired term”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.