(sell-by dates)
1.
The
sell-by date on a food container is the
date by which the food should be sold or eaten before it starts to decay. (
BRIT; in AM, use expiration date
)
...a piece of cheese four weeks past its sell-by date.
N-COUNT
2.
If you say that someone or something is past their sell-by date, you mean they are no longer effective, interesting, or useful. (BRIT)
As a sportsman, he is long past his sell-by date.
PHRASE: N inflects, v-link PHR [disapproval]