ex ‧ pire /ɪkˈspaɪə $ -ˈspaɪr/ BrE AmE verb [intransitive]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Language: French ; Origin: expirer , from Latin exspirare , from spirare 'to breathe' ]
1 . if an official document expires, it can no longer be legally used SYN run out :
My passport expires next week.
players whose contracts expire this summer
expire in/on/at
My driving licence expires in March.
The lease on the flat expired on June 14th.
2 . if a period of time when someone has a particular position of authority expires, it ends:
The chairman’s term of office has already expired.
3 . literary if someone expires, they die:
Ophelia expires in Act IV of Hamlet.
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ end if a event, activity, or story ends, it stops happening:
How does the story end?
|
The school year ends in June.
▪ finish to end - use this about an organized event such as a meeting, party, or lesson, especially when saying what time it ends:
The meeting will finish at 5.30.
|
What time does your Spanish class finish?
▪ be over if an event, activity, or period of time is over, it has ended:
I can’t wait for our exams to be over.
|
The long summer vacation was almost over.
▪ come to an end to finally end – used about a period of time, a situation, or an activity that has continued for a long time:
The war finally came to an end six years later.
▪ draw to an end/to a close written to end gradually over a period of time – used in written descriptions:
These problems still remained as the twentieth century drew to an end.
▪ time is up if time is up, you are not allowed any more time to do something:
I wasn’t able to finish the test before the time was up.
▪ time runs out if time runs out, there is no more time available to do something, especially something important:
The desperate search for survivors continues, but time is running out.
▪ expire formal if a ticket, bank card, legal document etc expires, the period of time during which you can use it has ended:
I’m afraid we can’t accept this credit card – it expired last week.
▪ be at an end if something is at an end, it has ended:
We both knew that our marriage was at an end.
|
The long wait was at an end.