expiration date

English

Noun

expiration date (plural expiration dates)

  1. A date by which an object either should not be used or loses its value, depending upon the item.
    Synonyms: expiry; expiry date (Britain, New Zealand, Australia); EXP
    credit card expiration date
    • 2013, Harold F. Green, Prison Stories: Harold F. Green, →ISBN, page 119:
      Well, in the mercy of God we are normally unaware of our personal expiration date.
    • 2014, Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino, Percolate: Let Your Best Self Filter Through, →ISBN:
      You have an expiration date, and despite your wanting to claim control over life circumstances, you're not entitled to know when your expiration date will be.
    • 2016, Heidi Bright, Thriver Soup: A Feast for Living Consciously During the Cancer Journey, →ISBN:
      If my expiration date is set, then it doesn't matter if I smoke or eat a gallon of ice cream a day; however, the quality of my life between now and that point will be improved considerably by eating well and taking good care of myself.
    • 2017, Cory Walborn, Out of Control: Victory in Surrender, →ISBN:
      It is modern medicine's best guess, a 50/50 shot, a coin flip of a lifespan. I would not want to know my expiration date or median survival.

Usage notes

An expiration date when applied to edibles is the last date the maker (for prepared goods) or packager (for fresh goods) believes the product is still fresh and safe to eat. For manufactured items (e.g. batteries) it is usually the latest date where the product will provide the same level of performance as when it was first made. For pharmaceuticals and other drugs, it is the latest date when the product is expected to remain reasonably safe and effective. Note that these are estimates and the product may still be valid for a short time after, and that a product, can, through improper storage, become unusable before the expiration date.

In the case of a financial instrument (like a futures contract), it is the last date when the item can be redeemed or is effective; after this date it becomes worthless. In the case of a contract, it is the final date that the contract is in effect.

Alternative forms

Coordinate terms

Translations
expiration date — see expiry date

See also

Further reading
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