transpire
verb
Upton SinclairJane Austen
Can transpire mean 'to occur'?: Usage Guide
Sense 1 of transpire is frequently criticized by those who suppose sense 2 to be the only meaning of the word. Sense 1 appears to have developed in the late 18th century; it was well enough known to have been used by Abigail Adams in a letter to her husband in 1775.
Abigail Adams
Noah Webster recognized the new sense in his dictionary of 1828. Transpire was evidently a popular word with 19th century journalists; sense 1 turns up in such pretentiously worded statements as "The police drill will transpire under shelter to-day in consequence of the moist atmosphere prevailing." Around 1870 the sense began to be attacked as a misuse on the grounds of etymology, and modern critics echo that criticism. Nevertheless, after more than two and a half centuries of use, sense 1 is firmly established as standard.
Did you know?
If you’re someone who gets in a sweat over the now-common use of transpire meaning “to occur,” we hope this explainer helps you cool down and breathe easier—it just so happens that the word’s expansion from its technical origins transpired in a logical, or at least understandable, progression over the centuries. Transpire comes from the Latin verb spirare (“to breathe”), which also breathed life into perspire, aspire, and inspire, among other words. Wafting up into English in the late 16th century, transpire was originally used (as it still is) for the action of vapor passing out of the pores of a living membrane such as the skin. From this use followed the related senses of “to become known” and “to be revealed; to come to light” (think of information “leaking” or “slipping out”). Although some usage commentators maintain that these are the only proper figurative uses of transpire, none other than Abigail Adams used it to mean “to happen” in a 1775 letter to her husband (“there is nothing new transpired since I wrote you last”) and Noah Webster recognized the new sense in his dictionary of 1828. Today it is firmly established as standard, occurring widely in published prose.
Examples of transpire in a Sentence
Kate Wolffe, Sacbee.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Of the 34 leaders across C-suite functions who took a CNBC flash survey regarding corporate response to what has transpired in Minneapolis, only one said their organization had spoken out publicly about the situation.
—Sharon Epperson,stephanie Dhue, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026
The moment was edited out of subsequent airings of the show, making the viral clip the first time some became aware of what had transpired in that moment.
—Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 28 Jan. 2026
Half of my life has transpired post-Survivor.
—Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 28 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for transpire
Cite this Entry
“Transpire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transpire. Accessed 3 Feb. 2026.
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transpire
verb
