Expiry date

How it is used

British English says 'expiry date', American English usually 'expiration date', and packs often show 'EXP'. Pharmacies check their stock regularly and remove out-of-date items. Some products have a shorter 'use within' period once opened, such as eye drops, or once mixed, such as antibiotic suspensions.

Example sentences

1. Please check the expiry date before you put the stock on the shelf.

2. These eye drops have an expiry date next year, but once opened they should be used within four weeks.

Common collocations

• check the expiry date
• past its expiry date
• expiration date
• out-of-date stock

Related terms

• cold chainThe system of keeping temperature-sensitive medicines, such as vaccines and insulin, within a set range, usually 2–8 °C, all the way from manufacture to the patient.
• dispensing labelThe label a pharmacy sticks on a dispensed medicine, showing the patient's name, the drug and strength, the directions for use, the date and the pharmacy's details.
• suspensionA liquid dosage form in which fine particles of a drug are spread through a liquid without dissolving, so it must be shaken before each dose.
• patient information leafletThe printed leaflet inside a medicine pack that explains in plain language what the medicine is for, how to take it, its possible side effects and how to store it.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• expiry date · Immigration & Visas
• expiry date · Travel & Airport English

More terms: Dispensing and Counselling

• pharmacist
• dispense
• patient counselling
• adherence
• take with food
• compounding
• medication review