shelf life

noun

: the period of time during which a material may be stored and remain suitable for use

broadly : the period of time during which something lasts or remains popular

Examples of shelf life in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Some might consider that effort and cost extraordinary for an art form that has a shelf life and is extremely vulnerable. — Tania Azhang, Sacbee.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Save as a collection on MyRecipes We’re all trying to make our grocery budgets stretch a little further these days, and a great way to do that is to stock up on canned and frozen foods that have a long shelf life. — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 28 Sep. 2026

That’s the industry’s biggest advantage and also its biggest weakness, Ang said, as sellers have to race against time because the fruit’s shelf life is at most two to three days. — ABC News, 27 Sep. 2026

Cleaning your rain gutters properly (and often) reduces flood risk, protects your home’s foundation, extends the shelf life of the gutter system, and prevents pest infestations. — Stephanie Osmanski, Better Homes & Gardens, 24 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1927, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for shelf life

• alewife
• birdlife
• folklife
• housewife
• jackknife
• midlife
• midwife
• nightlife
• penknife
• wildlife
• afterlife
• pocketknife

Kids Definition

shelf life

noun

: the period of time something may be stored and still be good enough to use

Medical Definition

shelf life

noun

ˈshelf-ˌ 

: the period of time during which a material (as a food or drug) may be stored and remain suitable for use