transpire
verb
Can transpire mean 'to occur'?: Usage Guide
Sense 1 of transpire is the frequent whipping boy of 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 the damnation of 1870. Sense 1 has been in existence for about two centuries; it is firmly established as standard; it occurs now primarily in serious prose, not the ostentatiously flamboyant prose typical of 19th century journalism.
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
Dalton Ross, EW.com, 27 Feb. 2025
What transpired Tuesday night revealed a painful, undeniable reality: Right now, this Magic team does not compare to the overachieving squad that nearly eliminated the Cavaliers last postseason.
—Josh Robbins, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
Ricco’s motion must be approved by the judge, and the attorney states that no delay in jury selection or the trial itself would transpire.
—Steven J. Horowitz, Variety, 21 Feb. 2025
What transpired was three fights in the first nine seconds of the game, followed by a U.S. 3-1 victory.
—Scott Thompson, Fox News, 18 Feb. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Transpire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transpire. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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transpire
verb
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