Too old to be used, past the point of expiration, as in This milk is out of date . [Early 1600s]
Old-fashioned, no longer in style, as in Dean has three suits but they're all out of date . [Early 1800s]
First recorded in 1620–30
Something that's out-of-date is either old-fashioned or so old that it's invalid. That typewriter in your closet is out-of-date, as well as that acid wash denim vest. An expired driver's license is out-of-date, and the out-of-date milk in your refrigerator is pretty likely to smell sour (depending on how out-of-date it is). Another way to be out-of-date is to be hopelessly unfashionable, like your mom's out-of-date bell bottom jeans or your grandparents' out-of-date kitchen, with its appliances from 1970. You can also use the words obsolete or outdated to mean out-of-date.
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
While their subplot is a worthy ding at today’s avalanche of junk, heaven help us if “Toy Story 6” co-stars an out-of-date cellphone.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 18, 2026
So far, he has 1,600 examples from 35 countries: from fabricated quotes and cases, to plagiarised arguments or references and out-of-date advice.
From Barron's • Jun. 15, 2026
The trade association for the nursing-home industry downplayed the report, arguing it was based on a small and out-of-date sample.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026
BBC journalists were able to order so-called skinny jabs to Northern Ireland from Voy and MedExpress using false data and out-of-date images, with no further verification required.
From BBC • Feb. 20, 2026
The Teacherage, which stands opposite the up-to-date school, is an out-of-date edifice, drab and poignant.
From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
