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?
Transpire (based on Latin spirare, meaning "to breathe") was originally used technically to describe the passage of vapor through the pores of a membrane (such as the skin). From this use developed the figurative sense: "to escape from secrecy" or "to become known." That sense was used in ambiguous contexts and often meant "to happen" or "to take place."
Synonyms
Examples of transpire in a Sentence
David Faris, Newsweek, 3 Nov. 2024
Do Secret Service details for the president and vice president always travel with a cooler of blood in case an emergency transfusion situation transpires?
—Sophie Brookover, Vulture, 1 Nov. 2024
Everything that transpired came from his own imagination and the the various posters and memorabilia scattered about his room.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 31 Oct. 2024
And that appears to have been precisely what transpired this evening.
—Benjamin Weinthal, Fox News, 26 Oct. 2024
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Cite this Entry
“Transpire.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/transpire. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.
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transpire
verb
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