expired

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: no longer valid : having exceeded its period of validity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

Synonyms of expired

• defunct
• extinct
• vanished
• gone

Examples of expired in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

As part of the settlement, the chain will implement a three-year program that includes monthly checks of shelves that carry medications, formula and baby care by store managers to remove any expired items, prosecutors said. —Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 27 Mar. 2026

Middle-aged adults with Obamacare plans acutely feel the pinch of the expired subsidies, because the ACA allows insurers to charge adults in their 60s up to three times as much for premiums as those in their 20s, who generally use fewer medical services. —Tribune News Service, Boston Herald, 27 Mar. 2026

Transdev also revealed that Charles had an expired school bus certificate at the time. —Anna Meiler, CBS News, 26 Mar. 2026

Middle-aged adults with Obamacare plans acutely feel the pinch of the expired subsidies, because the ACA allows insurers to charge adults in their 60s up to three times as much for premiums as those in their 20s, who generally use fewer medical services. —Sam Whitehead, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1631, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for expired

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