: 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a theory that has passed its sell-by date [=an outdated theory]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
All of these shrimp have a sell-by date of 3/15/2027.
—
Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Eggs with sell-by dates to June 19: Through May 6, eggs with those sell-by dates were distributed to Walmart locations in California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Indiana, and Illinois.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 10 June 2025
The eggs that went to Walmart stores had sell-by dates from March 4 through June 19.
—Mcclatchy Staff, Idaho Statesman, 9 June 2025
Some of the eggs were distributed between February 3, 2025 and May 15, 2025 and had sell-by dates of March 4, 2025 through June 4, 2025.
—Amber Brenza, Health, 8 June 2025
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Zachary Folk, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
Eggs with sell-by dates to June 19: Through May 6, eggs with those sell-by dates were distributed to Walmart locations in California, Washington, Nevada, Arizona, Wyoming, New Mexico, Nebraska, Indiana, and Illinois.
—Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 10 June 2025
The eggs that went to Walmart stores had sell-by dates from March 4 through June 19.
—Mcclatchy Staff, Idaho Statesman, 9 June 2025
Some of the eggs were distributed between February 3, 2025 and May 15, 2025 and had sell-by dates of March 4, 2025 through June 4, 2025.
—Amber Brenza, Health, 8 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for sell-by date
Cite this Entry
“Sell-by date.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell-by%20date. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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