transpire

[ tran-spahyuhr ]

verb (used without object)

, tran·spired, tran·spir·ing.

1. to occur; happen; take place.
2. to emit or give off waste matter, watery vapor, etc., through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.
3. to escape, as moisture or odor, through or as if through pores.
4. to be revealed or become known.

verb (used with object)

, tran·spired, tran·spir·ing.

1. to emit or give off (waste matter, watery vapor, an odor, etc.) through the surface, as of the body or of leaves.

transpire

/ ˌtrænspəˈreɪʃən; trænˈspaɪə /

verb

1. intr to come to light; be known
2. informal.
   intr to happen or occur
3. physiol to give off or exhale (water or vapour) through the skin, a mucous membrane, etc
4. (of plants) to lose (water in the form of water vapour), esp through the stomata of the leaves

Usage

It is often maintained that transpire should not be used to mean happen or occur, as in the event transpired late in the evening , and that the word is properly used to mean become known, as in it transpired later that the thief had been caught . The word is, however, widely used in the former sense, esp in spoken English

Derived Forms

• transpiration, noun
• tranˈspiratory, adjective
• tranˈspirable, adjective

Other Words From

• tran·spir·a·ble adjective
• tran·spir·a·to·ry [tran-, spahyr, -, uh, -tawr-ee], adjective
• un·tran·spir·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of transpire¹

First recorded in 1590–1600; from Middle French transpirer, from Medieval Latin trānspīrāre, equivalent to Latin trāns- trans- + spīrāre “to breathe”

Word History and Origins

Origin of transpire¹

C16: from Medieval Latin transpīrāre , from Latin trans- + spīrāre to breathe

Example Sentences

"It didn't materialise obviously, because as it transpired he wasn't real. But I didn't know that at the time," he says.

From BBC

“This whole game, really, this whole series, there were a lot of crazy things that transpired,” said Andrew Friedman, Dodgers president of baseball operations.

From Los Angeles Times

The men, believers in the QAnon conspiracy theory who each had a handgun on their person, were arrested before any violence transpired.

From Salon

So, as I heard the commissioner’s deputy forbidding me to enter, I wondered what transpired after my meeting with John to have both teams’ locker rooms be off limits to me.

From Los Angeles Times

It transpired the two men had sat together during a party fundraising dinner two months previously.

From BBC

Related Words

• arise
• befall
• ensue