sell-by date

noun

Definition of sell-by date

: a date printed on food packages showing the last day on which the food can be sold —sometimes used figuratively a theory that has passed its sell-by date [=an outdated theory]

Examples of sell-by date in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The stereotype of the endlessly preachy vegan is past its sell-by date. — Michael Brendan Dougherty, National Review, "Is the Future Vegan?," 30 Aug. 2019 But officials had to halt the distribution temporarily after discovering that some of the water exceeded its sell-by date. — Nick Corasaniti, BostonGlobe.com, "Lead crisis in Newark grows, as bottled water distribution is bungled," 14 Aug. 2019 Miss Havisham from Great Expectations This boss patroness takes her single self to the extreme by ignoring not just her own sell-by date; buy a few cakes and tea sandwiches to leave out for several weeks, if not months, to create this look. — Bridget Read, Vogue, "Single This Halloween? 11 Costumes Guaranteed to Make You Stand Out From the Crowd," 12 Oct. 2018 Check the sell-by date carefully on Blue Apron’s pledges. — Elizabeth Winkler, WSJ, "Blue Apron Can’t Find Missing Ingredient," 2 Aug. 2018 Be sure to check the packaging date, not the sell-by date. — Sarah Fritsche, SFChronicle.com, "Outerlands’ Salad With Burrata, Strawberries & Fennel," 29 June 2018 Fiat Chrysler and Ford management are notorious for keeping vehicles in production after the sell-by date for their underlying structure. — Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, "Why the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee flunked their crash tests," 12 June 2018 The broccoli has a sell-by date of March 15, 2020 and a UPC code of 68826700926. — Lindsey Murray, Good Housekeeping, "Frozen Broccoli Sold at Shop & Stop, Giant, and More Recalled Due to Listeria Risk," 24 May 2018 Community's enthusiastic fanbase kept it afloat for years beyond its sell-by date, firing its showrunner then rehiring him after an especially rancid fourth season. — Tom Philip, GQ, "Just Let Great TV Shows Die With Dignity," 17 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'sell-by date.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

14 Sep 2019

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Time Traveler for sell-by date

The first known use of sell-by date was in 1971

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More Definitions for sell-by date

sell-by date

noun

English Language Learners Definition of sell-by date

: a date that is printed on food packages which shows the last day on which the food can be sold

See the full definition for sell-by date in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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