Definitions

shelf life

NOUN

useful life of product

Synonyms

WEAK

mean life service life serviceable life

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Seth, should investors in more-traditional types of energy become more flexible about alternative-energy investments, understanding that there is a shelf life in oil and gas?

From Barron's • May 15, 2026

Economic forecasts have a short shelf life these days.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 6, 2026

While this refining process improves shelf life and taste consistency, it also reduces beneficial components such as antioxidants, polyphenols, vitamins and other bioactive substances.

From Science Daily • Apr. 18, 2026

A policy argument has a limited shelf life; a devotional or memoir can sell indefinitely.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

It hadn’t occurred to me that I could suddenly blink into nothingness like a crashed computer with not even two years used up on my shelf life.

From "The Adoration of Jenna Fox" by Mary E. Pearson