expired

1 of 2

adjective

ex·​pired ik-ˈspī(-ə)rd 

ek-

1

formal : dead, deceased

—often used as a euphemistic or humorous alternative to dead

A shovel, bucket, trash bags, and gloves are also useful items for cleaning up expired wildlife.

—Jeffrey Price and Jeffrey Forrest

… I've exercised my maternal instincts on him, doing a far better job of keeping him alive than all those expired plants now in the great compost pile in the sky.

—Kerry Quinn

There, firmly lodged within the pipe and obstructing the flow of water, was a catfish. The expired creature was removed, brought on board, and mounted in the main passenger cabin for all to see.

—John Laurence Busch

2

: no longer valid : having exceeded its period of validity

expired licenses

an expired contract

… Mr. Adams uses homemade software to download online books with expired copyrights …

—Michael M. Phillips

3

: having passed its expiration date (see expiration date sense 2)

expired milk

expired drugs

… networks that now take us into the homes of people who treasure their expired tuna cans more than they do their children …

—Carina Chocano

4

: emitted as or in a person's breath : breathed out

… the person exhales into a container at regular intervals and technicians measure the amount of hydrogen in the expired air.

—Colleen Sauber

expired

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of expire

Synonyms of expired

Adjective

• defunct
• extinct
• vanished
• gone

Examples of expired in a Sentence

Adjective

a wildlife organization dedicated to ensuring that the giant panda not be added to the list of expired species

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Using expired serums or creams as part of your nighttime routine can leave you with weaker results and a higher chance of irritation. — Samantha Agate, Sacbee.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Meanwhile, the legal-services groups under the expired contract are trying to figure out how to continue to represent their existing clients despite the lack of funds, all while new unaccompanied minors detained by ICE are turning up in shelters. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 15 Aug. 2026

His team found an expired domain that had previously managed factory backdoors on certain devices. — Jesse Watson , Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 14 Aug. 2026

Police also rely on outdated databases from judicial authorities, which means individuals can end up in police custody for expired or revoked arrest warrants. — Constance Malleret, Christian Science Monitor, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for expired

• reacquired
• aspired
• attired
• retired
• mired
• quired
• spired