expiration

C2+ Topic:Actions & Processes

US /ˌɛkspəˈreɪʃən/ UK /ˌɛkspaɪˈreɪʃən/ See IPA manual

Meanings

1

noun
the end of a period of validity, or the act of breathing out

The coupon is void after the expiration of the month.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the end of a period of... expiry termination end cessation exhalation close lapse

Opposites

commencement beginning inhalation renewal

Word family

Related forms expire expiry expiratory

Etymology

From Latin expiratio (also exspiratio), from exspirare ('to breathe out'), from ex- ('out') + spirare ('to breathe').

exspiratio Latin spirare Latin

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Actions & Processes Word Formation & Derivatives

External links

# expiration

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌɛkspəˈreɪʃən/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌɛkspaɪˈreɪʃən/

## Meanings
1. the end of a period of validity, or the act of breathing out

## Examples
- The coupon is void after the expiration of the month.

## Synonyms
- expiry
- termination
- end
- cessation
- exhalation
- close
- lapse

## Antonyms
- commencement
- beginning
- inhalation
- renewal

## Related Forms
- expire
- expiry
- expiratory

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: exspiratio
- Root: spirare

## Etymology
From Latin expiratio (also exspiratio), from exspirare ('to breathe out'), from ex- ('out') + spirare ('to breathe').

## AI Etymology
Expiration comes from Latin expiratio (also exspiratio), from exspirare ('to breathe out'), from ex- ('out') + spirare ('to breathe'). Morphologically, the form is compositional: ex- marks part of the visible structure, while the remaining element supplies the lexical base. In present use, it is used as a noun meaning "the end of a period of validity, or the act of breathing out", so the historical material remains connected with the current sense rather than standing as bare ancestry. The wider English family includes related forms such as expire, expiry, and expiratory, showing how the same historical material continues to organize neighboring vocabulary. The named historical forms include Latin exspiratio and Latin spirare, keeping the history tied to concrete forms rather than a loose resemblance. Its semantic neighborhood is marked by expiry, termination, end, and cessation on one side and contrasts such as commencement, beginning, and inhalation on the other, locating the modern specialization without adding a new origin story.

## Topics
- Actions & Processes
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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