What does expired mean?
Expired is the past participle of the verb 'expire', used adjectivally to describe something that has reached the end of its designated validity period. Most commonly it refers to official documents — passports, licenses, visas — that are no longer legally recognized, but it also applies to perishable items like food and medication whose safe-use window has closed. Figuratively, it can describe offers, warranties, or opportunities that have lapsed without being formally cancelled. The word derives from Latin 'exspirare' meaning to breathe out or come to an end. In modern usage it carries a neutral-to-negative connotation: an expired item is not necessarily destroyed, but it has lost its official sanction and may need renewal, replacement, or disposal depending on context.
Having reached the end of its period of validity; no longer valid, usable, or safe.
"He was turned away at the border because his visa had expired."
Past tense and past participle of 'expire': to have come to an end or ceased to be valid.
"The offer expired yesterday without a single customer taking advantage of it."
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of expired
Expired comes from Latin 'exspirare', formed from 'ex-' (out) and 'spirare' (to breathe), originally meaning to breathe one's last breath. It entered English via Old French 'expirer' around the late Middle English period, first carrying the sense of dying or coming to a natural end. By the seventeenth century its meaning broadened to include the ending of any fixed term or validity period. Cognate words sharing this root include 'expiration', 'expiry', and 'perish' (via related Latin 'perire').
Related word forms
How expired is actually used
Primarily used attributively before nouns ('an expired coupon') rather than predicatively after verbs like 'be' — 'the coupon is expired' is common in American English but less so in British English, where 'has expired' (using the verb) is more natural.
Easily confused with expired
Not applicable — no common confusable word exists.