expire meaning
expire :
to end, to stop being valid
Verb
▪ The contract will expire next month.
▪ The contract will end next month.
▪ His visa expired last week.
▪ His visa ended last week.
paraphrasing
▪ terminate – to end
▪ conclude – to finish
▪ end – to stop
▪ cease – to stop
Pronunciation
expire [ɪkˈspaɪər]
The stress is on the second syllable 'spire' and sounds like 'ik-spy-er'.
Common phrases and grammar about expire
expire - Common meaning
Verb
to end, to stop being valid
Part of Speech Changes for "expire"
▪ expiration (noun) – the end or finish of something
▪ expired (adjective) – ended or no longer valid
Common Expressions with "expire"
▪ expire soon – to end soon
▪ expire on a date – to end on a specific date
▪ expire without notice – to end without warning
▪ expire automatically – to end by itself
Important examples of expire in TOEIC
Vocabulary examples from the TOEIC test
In TOEIC vocabulary questions, expire usually refers to when a contract, license, or document ends.
Example of a confusing word: inspire (to motivate)
Grammar examples from the TOEIC test
Expire is often used as an intransitive verb, meaning it does not need an object.
expire
Idioms and fixed expressions in TOEIC
expiration date
the date when something ends
breathe one's last
to take the final breath, meaning to die
Differences between similar words and expire
expire
,
lapse
differences
Expire means to end after a set time, while lapse means to end gradually or due to neglect.
expire
,
terminate
differences
Expire means to end naturally, while terminate often means to end intentionally.
Words with the same origin as expire
The origin of expire
expire comes from the Latin 'exspirare' which means 'to breathe out' and evolved to mean 'to come to an end'.
Word structure
It has the prefix 'ex' (out), root 'spir' (breathe), and suffix 'e' (verb), so expire means 'to breathe out'.
Words with the same origin
The root of expire is 'spir'. Words with the same root include inspire, perspire, transpire, and conspire.
